Sustainability & ESG

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Adopted by all UN members, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development resulted in 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At PENTAX Medical, the SDGs marked the beginning of our sustainability journey. Recognizing the need for action on global challenges such as climate change, we have used the UN Goals as a foundation to build upon. In the past year, we conducted a Double Materiality assessment to better understand the areas where we can make the most meaningful impact. As a result, we have developed our own set of long‑term ESG goals, which are now fully integrated into our company objectives. These goals not only reflect the global priorities set by the UN but also address the specific needs of our customers, patients, and stakeholders.

We are now taking the next steps, and we invite you to join us as we continue to work towards a more sustainable and responsible future.

Green Endoscopy for sustainable healthcare

Balancing sustainability with exceptional patient care, our Green Endoscopy initiative reflects our dedication to reducing environ­ mental impact across operations. Green Endoscopy spans across multiple areas of our business, including Research & Development, manufacturing, and service. In R & D, we focus on developing more sustainable materials and processes, ensuring that our devices are clinically efficient as well as eco-friendly. In manufacturing, we strive to minimize waste and emissions, while our service teams work to extend product life spans through efficient repair and maintenance.

A key aspect of this initiative is our collaboration with key medical associations such as ASGE and ESGE. Together, we’re advancing sustainable healthcare practices. Our focus remains on supporting customers’ environmental goals while ensuring uncompromised product quality and patient safety.

Planting Trees to Compensate

To ensure patient safety, the production of medical products is regulated by stringent quality assurance processes and safety regulations. Carbon emissions can therefore not always be completely avoided.

To compensate for this, we seek ways to neutralise our carbon emissions.

We are happy to support the Togo reforestation project to compensate for the carbon emissions in the production of our PlasmaBAG™ endoscope storage bags. As a result, all PlasmaBAG endoscope storage bags are carbon neutral.

Using recycled material for PlasmaBAG™ ECO

Because our planet’s resources are limited, we aim to develop solutions that need less to achieve more. Central to this aspiration is investigating the use of sustainable materials for our products. As a result, our PlasmaBAG™ ECO endoscope storage bagis made with 80 % recycled polyethylene and holds the German eco label ‘Blue Angel’. In addition, PlasmaBAG™ ECO endoscope storage bagcan be recycled after usage, under the condition that it was used only on clean disinfected endoscopes.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Drying and storing reprocessed endoscopes can be a time consuming and resource-consuming procedure.

Regular solutions need long drying cycles and continuous consumption of electricity and medical air for storage.

With our latest drying and storage system innovation PlasmaTYPHOON™+ we managed to significantly reduce energy and medical air consumption while improving efficiency. The PlasmaTYPHOON+ system reduces the endoscope drying and storage procedure from hours to only 1 to 3 minutesand offers ‘zero-energy’ storage for up to 31 days.There is no electricity nor medical air consumption during the entire storage period.

Reducing water consumption

From melting glaciers to polluted rivers or plastic in the oceans, water demands we treat it with respect. With our latest innovation AquaTYPHOON™, we support healthcare institutions worldwide to significantly reduce their water consumption during the endoscope pre-cleaning step.

Thanks to AquaTYPHOON technology, only a few liters of water are used per endoscope for the pre-cleaning step, thus reducing the water consumption by 70 % to 89 % compared to the standard manual pre-cleaning.

Refurbishing Used Parts

To extend product life cycles we have always offered repair services.

With the aim of making our repair processes more sustainable and focusing on ‘reduce and reuse’, we also refurbish parts from discarded endoscopes and processors and use these for repairs.

By repairing tens of thousands of medical devices globally each year and refurbishing printed circuit boards (PCB) as well as thousands of camera components (CCD) for reuse, we help save natural resources and reduce waste.

Reducing waste and water pollution

With our latest innovation AquaTYPHOON™, we support healthcare institutions worldwide to minimize their waste generation and water pollution during the endoscope pre-cleaning step.

AquaTYPHOON technology enables automated brushless pre-cleaning of endoscopes using only air and water, thus eliminating the use of detergent and single-use consumables.

This way, the waste generation of this reprocessing step can be reduced by up to 99%.

Environmentally friendly plastic bags

Our new eco-friendly accessory packaging introduces bags made from 70% polyethylene and 30% green polyethylene from renewable sources, replacing traditional 100% polyethylene materials. These new bags also feature a bio‑mass mark and updated labeling to reflect their eco-friendly nature.

Initially rolling out in November 2024 for zipper bags sized 60 × 85 mm to 240 × 340 mm, this program will gradually expand to additional sizes, reducing our reliance on fossil-based materials while advancing our sustainability goals.

Plastic reduction and packaging optimization

Our ongoing commitment to reducing plastic consumption has yielded significant results through optimized packaging methods.

By replacing black plastic theft protection bags with transparent pallet wraps in January 2023, we achieved a reduction in plastic use during the first quarter, projecting a total decrease of 308 kg by March 2024.

Additionally, our repair service department’s optimization of minimum order quantities has further decreased plastic usage and eliminated 5,368 barcode stickers through March 2024.

While each step may appear small, these initiatives combine with other measures to create meaningful impact over time.

Reducing paper consumption

As part of our efforts to minimize resource consumption, we transitioned to paperless processes in several key areas. In April 2023, we switched from retaining paper copies of security export control management documents to electronic PDFs in our repair service group.

This shift has already resulted in the reduction of 284 sheets of paper in the first month, with a total reduction of 1,294 sheets projected by March 2024.

Additionally, this initiative has reduced costs and increased operational efficiency by decreasing printer power consumption and freeing up storage space.

Downsizing endoscope repair tool packaging

In a recent initiative, we were able to downsize the packaging for our endoscope repair tools. Specifically, the staycoil separator used in the new i20c series of colonoscopes has been redesigned from a one‑piece tool to a multi‑piece type. This redesign has allowed us to

• reduce packaging size by over 50%,

• save both materials and labor,

• reduce packaging time by 30 minutes per unit,

• lower the consumption of cushioning material.

By optimizing the design and packaging of our repair tools, we are able to minimize waste, reduce storage space requirements, and improve overall efficiency.

This effort is part of our broader commitment to making every aspect of our operations as eco-friendly as possible.

Local procurement reducing carbon

PENTAX Medical has also taken steps to localize procurement, reducing the environmental impact of transportation.

Historically, adhesives used in our repair services were imported from Japan to global service regions.

In 2023, we made some of these adhesives available for local purchase for the first time.

This change has reduced transportation costs and CO₂ emissions, while also decreasing the time and effort required for order management and inventory control. We are continuing to explore opportunities for local procurement in other product categories to further enhance our sustainability efforts.

A strong commitment to infection prevention

Endoscopy is continuously innovating to improve clinical outcomes, while significant opportunities remain for enhancing patient safety and infection prevention. In today’s environment of heightened environmental awareness and staff shortages, improving endoscope decontamination has become increasingly critical.

Patient health and safety is central to everything we do at PENTAX Medical. Through innovative products, optimized processes, and healthcare worker partnerships, we continuously improve patient safety and infection prevention.

Our comprehensive hygiene solutions offer the power of choice, ensuring the right solution for each individual patient while reducing the risk of cross-contamination.

Educating healthcare professionals in hygiene

In healthcare, knowledge is everything. We see it as our responsibility to ensure the continuous development and training of healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Drawing upon decades of experience, PENTAX Medical actively shares know­ ledge through training, educational courses, and clinical applications. Our PENTAX Medical Forward Academy™ connects talented professionals with renowned mentors from leading worldwide hospitals, creating ambassadors for the future of endoscopy.

Through our global training centers and partnerships with worldwide leading educators like GIEQs and IRCAD, we’ve developed comprehensive curricula to address field disparities and empower HCPs.

Our commitment focuses on enhancing skills and elevating patient outcomes through carefully designed educational programs.

Women in endoscopy

Studies show a significant underrepresentation of women in advanced endoscopy, with only 12.8 % of advanced endoscopy fellowship matches being women in 2019. PENTAX Medical actively addresses this disparity through a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We proudly partner with key organizations including

• Women in Endoscopy (WiE),

• FAIR Foundation and

• WEGE (Women empowerment in gastrointestinal endoscopy)

Our aim is to level the playing field and accelerate progress toward parity. These initiatives aim to create a more equitable future in endoscopy.

At PENTAX Medical, we recognize that inclusivity in endoscopy goes beyond representation – it also means designing solutions that meet the diverse needs of all practitioners. That’s why we are constantly exploring innovations in ergonomics and usability to create instruments that support the well‑being and performance of all endoscopists, including women.

Dedicated to expanding our knowledge in sustainability

Recognizing sustainability as an emerging focus in endoscopy, we’re actively seeking partnerships with academic institutions to develop innovative solutions.

Our pilot collaboration with Switzerland’s Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) is a good example of this approach. In May 2024, students from SUMAS presented their inspiring ideas at our office in Italy, sharing how they would suggest to enhance our operational sustainability.

Building on this positive experience, we plan to expand our partnerships with additional universities to expand our knowledge base and continue learning from the latest research in sustainability. By fostering these partnerships, we aim to develop new strategies and solutions that can further enhance our sustainability efforts.

These collaborations represent the first steps in our commitment to improving environmental performance and implementing innovative practices across our operations.