European Healthcare has systematically phased out of many harmful substances in products, including medical devices. The buyers group in the prestudy identified blood bags as a product they were committed to replace with a safer alternative. Demanding PVC-free blood bags means avoiding potential risks from new plasticisers.
This LIFE+ project aims to stimulate and verify the interest in replacing PVC blood bags with PVC-free blood bags.
Besides demonstrating that it is possible to manufacture a PVC-free blood bag that fulfil the requirements the demand for PVC-free blood bags is crucial. A demand will influence the market and speed up the introduction of new products.
One challenge to the introduction of safe blood bags in healthcare is this lack of clear demand; in order for the old bags to be phased out, demand for a safer alternative must increase.
