CleanMed 2026: A Recap from Parcel Health

Last week, our leadership team packed up product samples, our best swag, and a backdrop so big it’s impossible to miss, and headed to St. Louis for CleanMed 2026.

Here’s some of the highlights 

1. Boston Medical Center and Takeda led a standout session sharing their year-one collaboration findings on greenhouse gas emissions, including the finding that 80% of healthcare emissions originate from the supply chain. It was one of the conference highlights for us, a chance to dig into the biggest sustainability challenges facing health systems and explore how we can support impactful solutions.
2. Health systems are actively embracing practical waste reduction solutions, like using Dispatch Goods in foodservice operations or Clear Drop® to manage hard-to-recycle plastics and deliver measurable results.
3. Health systems including Penn Medicine, Wellstar, and UVA Health are already shifting toward sustainable packaging, proving that supplier and health system collaboration are the core to drive progress. As home delivery and pharmacy operations grow, so does packaging volume, making the push for plastic alternatives more urgent than ever.

80% of Healthcare Emissions Come From the Supply Chain

During one of our favorite sessions, Boston Medical Center and Takeda co-presented on their joint efforts to reduce emissions , providing a perfect example of why cross-industry and cross-sector collaboration is essential: each organization's scope 3 emissions reporting directly impacts the other. They launched a 3-year project to reduce emissions across healthcare, and BMC's own audit found that 80% of their emissions come from their supply chain. Knowing where 80% of the problem lives gives us a starting point, but that is just the beginning of the work. 

Healthcare supply chains and waste streams are extremely complex, and health systems often depend on the same vendors across the entire value chain. One healthcare system changing its procurement or waste management process is already complicated. Many systems working together with vendors to build a new way of doing things is how we bring about the change this moment requires. These ripple effects are significant, and real lasting change in this space means multiple systems moving together alongside their vendors toward a shared goal.

What's Already Working in Healthcare Sustainability

Health systems are actively looking for ways to reduce plastics outside of the clinical and patient experience. Many are already working with Dispatch Goods to cut single-use plastics in foodservice operations, a simple and immediate way to reduce plastics and emissions while working toward solutions for hard-to-solve problems like regulated medical waste and sharps.

Hard-to-recycle plastics do not need to stay that way too. Clear Drop's soft plastic compactors collect soft plastics in clinical settings and make sure they are actually recycled properly. Their compaction technology can reduce soft plastic volume by up to 90%, simplifying collection logistics and keeping recyclables out of biohazard waste streams. 

One thing that we couldn’t help but notice: while there has been a lot of really interesting innovation in healthcare just in the past few years, some of that innovation creates a measurable increase in pharmaceutical packaging. New drugs, increased reliance on telemedicine, and broader specialty pharmacy adoption all require more packaging, just as hospital health systems aim to reduce their plastic and carbon footprint. This means that innovations that decrease reliance on plastics while delivering medications safely and efficiently are more urgent than ever. 

Health Systems Are Already Adopting Sustainable Packaging

There is genuine excitement about the Tully Tube out there, and it was wonderful to feel that in person. A few times, people stopped by our booth clearly interested in the product but asked questions like "will health systems really say yes to this?" It is a fair and important question. Anyone who has worked inside a health system understands how much coordination real change requires, and that experience naturally breeds healthy skepticism.

It felt great to be able to answer with confidence: yes, health systems are already saying yes. We are already working with health systems including Penn Medicine and Wellstar, and the results of those collaborations show what is possible when health systems commit to trying something new. During the conference, UVA Health presented a poster on the floor highlighting the outcomes of our collaboration, demonstrating the real-world impact of our partnership.

Change is both necessary and possible. Being in a room where so many people are committed to making it happen reminded us that partnerships and alliances are what will take this further.

Looking Ahead in Healthcare Sustainability

Healthcare sustainability is becoming a shared commitment, built on partnership and collaboration across sectors. We left CleanMed inspired to keep playing our part and to bring more health systems along, because the bigger and broader this movement grows, the more visible and lasting the impact becomes.

If you are a health system exploring how to reduce packaging waste in your pharmacy or medication logistics, we would love to collaborate! 

BTS: Here's What We Packed!

When every booth is competing for attention, fun swag helps draw people in. We brought the Tully Tube socks we made as part of our April Fool's prank and gave them out to potential customers, advocates, and partners we appreciate.

As a company focused on sustainability, it matters to us that our swag is actually useful. These are high-quality, 100% cotton socks featuring Tully Tube confetti or a Tully Tube on the toe, a small but lasting reminder of Parcel Health and its commitment to sustainability every time they are worn. Given how cute they are, we are guessing that they will often be reminded!

We also packed chocolate in compostable wrappers from Alter Eco, because we’re positive everyone needs a little energy boost during a long conference day!