By Saleh Karsou
A few years ago I received a certificate in the field of the circular economy (CE). For those who are not familiar with the term, CE refers to the sustainable practice in which systems are designed to minimize waste by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible.
Shortly after completing the course, I paid a visit to a relative in Germany. I shared with him some of my achievements and mentioned the CE certificate as one of them. He stated that, as a dentist, he is required to adhere to certain requirements relevant to circular economy practices in his office. My initial impression was that Europe (perhaps only Germany) is advanced in the CE field, to the point that a small business and service providers have circular economy targets and requirements.
My relative asked me to help him, so I started to review additional material relevant to the compliance to CE. My research resulted in the following recommendations using the SIPOC approach, with a particular focus on the “Supplier” and “Input” aspects:
Suppliers. Those in the supply chain recognize the importance of compliance with government and U.N. mandates, leading to great emphasis on the sustainability of services. It is expected that materials and packages will be shipped back to suppliers for reuse. This requires constant communication between the dentistry office and the supply chain, which has proven to be a significant constraint in the drive towards sustainability.
As I conducted more research, it became clear that there is a significant responsibility falling on the shoulders of the suppliers to design packages and material with sustainability in mind.
Inputs. All medical professionals working in this field need to comply and understand the CE mandate and to “Think before disposing.” All employees are required to provide ideas to improve CE in the firm as well as means for enhancing sustainability. It is recommended that they seek to understand their role as end-users in this cycle.
Collaboration towards compliance
All the above should lead to a strategy and a framework to be utilized in the dentistry industry. Much of the strategies can be shared and devised across early pioneers in the field as well as best practices used by other healthcare providers. This can lead to better collaboration among dentistry offices in the area. This can be conducted through town hall meetings and mini conventions geared towards seeking solutions to emerging CE issues.
Recognition
There are also important questions related to recognition, namely, how do CE-compliant practitioners such as this dentistry office obtain recognized and acknowledgement by their patients? This can be a great help in branding the business and improving customer satisfaction. The answer may lie in the packages and healthcare products being labeled as CE-compliant. This is one opportunity in particular to brand this office in particular as being environmentally responsible.
About the author
Saleh Karsou is an operation excellence consultant for Saudi Aramco.