Environmental Stewardship Policy

Multigate integrates environmental performance measures as key considerations in the operation of our business and the life-cycle of the products and services we provide. A sustainable future is crucial to our mission to deliver a quality of care. As product stewards we must protect, conserve and enhance the environment in which we all live.

Implementing this policy supports our vision and purpose ‘to be a perfect example of innovation that inspires life changing performances’ and to ensure our contribution to the quality of care in our healthcare system. It will proactively guide our activities, and assist in reducing risk and liability. It will also promote compliance with relevant policies, regulations and standards with a view to consistently delivering sustainable products and services for our customers.

The policy is summarised in 11 clear business commitments. We will:

  1. Comply with applicable laws, regulations, standards and related company policies.
  1. Take measures to ensure the efficient use of energy in the supply of our products and services, including the use of renewable energy.
  2. Minimise any pollution associated with the supply of our products.
  3. Systematically identify and review the impacts that our products have on the environment using proven life-cycle accounting methodologies and auditable frameworks that allow us to baseline and track progress in eliminating and/or reducing their impact over time.
  4. Use our design, sourcing and procurement capabilities to eliminate and/or minimise the environmental impacts of our products and their packaging without sacrificing their clinical performance or value.
  5. Take practical action to eliminate the climate effects of our business using design and procurement best practice to address those climate impacts within our control and using carbon offsetting to eliminate those impacts beyond our control.
  6. Communicate accurately about product environmental performance and share our knowledge and data with our customers and other stakeholders so they can make informed choices that support their own stewardship goals.
  7. Engage, educate and enable our employees to be proactive product stewards and take responsibility within their sphere of operational responsibility.
  1. Partner for solutions and lead collaborative projects to measurably address the acute care waste challenge associated with single-use products and their packaging seeking, where appropriate and safe to do so, to establish systems and processes for the recovery and recycling of raw materials.
  2. Build a strong, authentic, pragmatic, and transparent product stewardship approach across our supply chain that contributes to achieving a circular economy.
  3. Establish and maintain sufficient documentation to support and monitor this policy, including relevant data collection and reporting.

Each and every Multigate team member accepts this environmental responsibility. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that they are aware of our requirements and share in the responsibility for supplying in an environmentally responsible and accountable manner.

Our performance model

Multigate seeks to make meaningful change to better serve our customers and the patients in their care. Environmental performance is a key consideration within our broader product stewardship and performance framework, known as ‘Small Change Big Impact’. We use this framework to review our products, services, and supply arrangements. (See https://www.multigate.com.au/performance-advantage-series/small-change-big-impact/). 

We evaluate potential changes against a multi-criteria framework to ensure that they are well considered, balanced and capable of making a material and meaningful impact. We consider four key elements and discover ways to:

  1. Improve patient outcomes
  2. Deliver improved value for money
  3. Improve product performance
  4. Reduce the environmental footprint or a product or service.

The model ensures that environmental factors are evaluated within a balanced framework and that any efforts to continually improve environmental outcomes are not at the expense of regulatory requirements, clinical performance or value to our customers.

Our approach to environmental performance

A data driven approach

Mutigate will establish and maintain Life-Cycle Assessments (LCAs), a globally recognised, data-driven and evidence-based process, for all our products. Information derived from these assessments is a foundational element in informing our program of work, and is crucial to deliver on our Small Change Big Impact commitment. The sharing of this data empowers our business and our broader stakeholder community to make better, more informed decisions about the design and performance of our products.

In addition to climate change being a key area of focus, additional areas of environmental impact will be evaluated and assessed. Multigate will seek to measure, address and report on the environmental performance of our products around 4 key indicators:

  1. Greenhouse gas emissions
  2. Water usage
  3. Particulate matter
  4. Abiotic depletion.

We seek to provide energy consumption figures/impact data for products that require electricity or other power sources.

We measure the impact of our products at 7 key stages of their life-cycle

  1. Materials impacts
  2. Manufacturing impacts
  3. Packaging impacts
  4. Sterilisation impacts
  5. Transport impacts
  6. Usage impacts
  7. End of Life (EOL) impacts.

These comprehensive measures ensure that all relevant environmental factors are captured and accounted for. It also allows our internal and external stakeholders see which areas contribute most to the overall impact figure.

Carbon neutral starting point

Certification as a Climate Neutral Company and maintenance of this certification is an important first step in Multigate’s body of work aimed at reducing the environmental impact in all facets of the business. Climate Neutral certification provides the basis for a continuous improvement approach to managing our greenhouse gas emissions and provides us with a platform for reviewing environmental performance with all our stakeholders.

(Refer: https://www.multigate.com.au/news/cnc/)

Managing and maintaining our environmental performance commitment

Multigate has implemented an Environmental Management System structured to meet the requirements of the current version of ISO14001 and is independently certified. The system is designed to serve three key goals:

  1. To meet all local, state and federal regulations regarding protection of the environment
  2. To ensure compliance and measure progress against the objectives set out in this policy
  3. To meet the expectations of the health industry and ensure responsible stewardship for our community.

Environmental certification

Multigate has maintained certification to the International Standard ISO14001 - Environmental Management System Requirements since November 2011. The scope of our certification covers any activity that may interact with the environment and be recognised as something that would involve any waste emission or discharge. Our program involves all activities concerning environmental initiatives at Multigate’s Villawood Head Office. As part of this program, Multigate will initiate risk assessments that provide controlling mechanisms to ensure we meet all our targets and objectives. Since implementing the program, Multigate has successfully demonstrated to our JAS-ANZ accredited auditors that we have met and maintained all program requirements.

Third party validation of our performance

Ensuring the accuracy of our foundational data for assessing environmental impact is essential and we seek guidance and audit from companies specialising in this area.

Life-Cycle analysis

Our LCA information has been calculated using a model created by Lifecycles Pty Ltd, an experienced  third-party specialist in this area based in Melbourne. Lifecycles is responsible for ensuring that the model, modelling technique, reference database, data entered, and all assumptions reflect and comply with universally approved environmental impact accounting frameworks and best practices. Lifecycles is responsible for auditing the data to ensure it is as complete and as accurate as possible, and that any imperfect data is improved over time.

Carbon offsetting

Our activities and product impacts are assessed and audited by South Pole as part of their accreditation process. This provides additional validation of LCA methodology and data sets used by Lifecycles.    

Team responsibilities

Multigate leaders are responsible for:

  • Ensuring compliance with this policy.
  • Assigning accountable business managers who will ensure that product stewardship and compliance requirements are met for all products, including by-products.
  • Ensuring employees have sufficient training and resources to proactively comply with this policy.

Employees are responsible for:

  • Understanding and complying with this policy.
  • Engaging relevant subject matter experts when needed to comply with this policy.
  • Seeking guidance if they are uncertain about the applicability of this policy to their work.

Brand and Communications is responsible for supporting this policy by:

  • Providing technical support, guidance, governance and oversight for product stewardship and reporting progress against this policy in site audits as appropriate.

Related Multigate

Multigate has implemented procedural documents to comply with the requirements of ISO 14001.

EMS200 Environmental Aspects

EMS201 Compliance Obligations

EMS202 Environmental Objectives and Plan of Action

EMS203 Roles, Responsibility, and Authority

EMS205 Communication

EMS207 Operational Control Procedure

EMS209 Monitoring and Measurement

EMS210 Nonconformity, Corrective and Preventive Actions

EMS214 Multigate’s Recycling Program

These documents are routinely reviewed and modified to match changes as they occur.

Signed on behalf of the Multigate group of companies.