According to a study by a team of American researchers led by Kara Law, Italy ranks ninth in the world for plastic waste production per capita: Italians generate a whopping 56 kg of plastic waste per capita per year. In this scenario, the medical sector has a significant impact: approximately 25 percent of the waste produced by the sector is composed of plastic , especially that used for packaging. Unfortunately, the dental sector is no exception: according to recent estimates, the dental sector produces approximately 28 tons of plastic per year, including packaging, blisters, surgical guides, models, and temporary appliances.
Starting from this evidence, IDI Evolution , which is accompanying dentists and implantologists towards a technologically advanced and cutting-edge dentistry model, has developed a project that aims to make its clients' 1,700 dental practices circular by 2025 , transforming, thanks to the partnership with Supernovas, plastic waste into new products useful to the same practices.
The first step of the ambitious project foresees that Supernovas , a circular design and lifestyle company based in London and Milan, will exclusively create furnishings for dental practices for IDI Evolution, such as surgical furniture, waste bins, brochure holders, and magazine racks for waiting rooms. These items are made from recycled plastic and are themselves recyclable at the end of their lifespan, introducing the virtuous practices of the circular economy to the Italian dental industry for the first time . In parallel, the two companies will collaborate to ensure that in the near future all IDI Evolution plastic products supplied to its customers on a daily basis—such as packaging, blisters, templates, and models—will be collected by practices and transformed into new products, with the goal of creating zero waste by 2025 .
" We are very pleased with this collaboration between our Studio department and IDI Evolution because, in addition to being the benchmark for innovation in its industry for over 20 years, IDI has made the evolution of its customers its mission. We must look at the products around us in the same way: how can packaging or a model evolve after its first use? This is the circular economy. And it will allow us to continue evolving as people and professionals , in unison with our planet," he commented. Massimiliano Rossi - Founder of Supernovas.
The idea of the project, as explained Andrea Piantoni , Chief Innovation Officer of IDI Evolution, was born during the lockdown : “The pandemic has profoundly affected the lives of each of us, highlighting the fragility of planet Earth. We at IDI Evolution felt the need to focus on a project that would allow us to offer our contribution to protecting and safeguarding the environment . And not only that: we wanted to build a system that would enable dentists and implantologists to do the same ,” said Piantoni.
“ We hope that our initiative can serve as a stimulus and incentive for other entities as well, which will certainly be able to seek and find new solutions: what matters is to kickstart a flow of sustainable initiatives, and above all to raise awareness in the sector on this very important issue .”
Read the full article on Odontoiatria33.
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