The objective of the initiative is to apply circular economy principles across the Group’s operations, with a focus on preventing and reducing waste at source, reusing and extending the lifecycle of medical and biomedical equipment, recycling and recovering materials, and safely managing waste which, due to its infectious or hazardous nature, cannot be recycled.

The initiative concerns all employees and facilities of the Group, while generating broader environmental benefits for society through the reduction of natural resource consumption, waste prevention and the responsible management of generated waste.

The initiative is implemented on an ongoing basis, with individual actions relating to waste prevention, circular equipment management, recycling and recovery carried out throughout 2025 and continuing as part of the Group’s environmental strategy.The initiative is implemented on an ongoing basis, with individual actions relating to waste prevention, circular equipment management, recycling and recovery carried out throughout 2025 and continuing as part of the Group’s environmental strategy.

Circular economy practices in the healthcare sector present a particular challenge, as the provision of safe and high-quality healthcare services is associated with significant consumption of disposable materials and the generation of different waste streams. At the same time, a significant proportion of waste generated through blood sampling, laboratory testing and medical procedures is infectious, having come into contact with blood or other biological materials. As a result, such waste cannot be directed to conventional recycling or reuse, as the protection of public health and biosafety must remain the priority.

For BIOIATRIKI, therefore, the circular economy begins even before waste is generated. The Group’s strategy is based on the waste management hierarchy: first, prevention and reduction of consumption; followed by lifecycle extension and reuse, refurbishment, recycling and resource recovery; and, only where this is not technically or medically feasible, safe final disposal.

Within this framework, an integrated circular management approach is applied both to waste and to medical and biomedical equipment. Particular emphasis is placed on preventing waste generation at source. A characteristic example is the replacement of 8 ml blood collection tubes with 5 ml VACUTAINER tubes, achieving a 37.5% reduction in tube volume and in the amount of plastic required per tube. This intervention is particularly significant because, after use, these materials become infectious waste and cannot be recycled through conventional methods. Consequently, source reduction translates simultaneously into lower consumption of natural resources and less infectious waste requiring treatment and disposal.

With 18,315,927 laboratory tests performed, it is clear that even a small improvement in a material used on a daily basis can, when implemented at scale, translate into a substantial environmental benefit.

The use of smaller-volume blood collection tubes, wherever scientifically and operationally feasible, is a characteristic example of integrating waste prevention and more efficient use of natural resources directly into the Group’s core operational processes.

At the same time, the Group applies circular management principles to medical and biomedical equipment, treating equipment that is replaced not as waste, but as a resource capable of retaining its value. In 2025, 176 pieces of equipment were included in circular utilisation processes, including return to manufacturers for refurbishment or reuse, recycling and resale.

Specifically, 141 pieces of equipmemt were returned to manufacturers for refurbishment or reuse, 19 pieces of equipment were recycled through licensed waste management systems, and 16 pieces of equipment were utilised through resale, extending their useful life and significantly reducing waste electrical and electronic equipment. This approach demonstrates that technological modernisation can go hand in hand with responsible resource management and sustainable development.

In this way, the lifecycle of equipment is extended, the generation of WEEE is reduced, and the unnecessary consumption of raw materials for replacing equipment that can be reused is avoided.

At the level of overall waste management, 421.1 tonnes of waste were recorded in 2025, of which 12.8 tonnes were diverted from final disposal through recycling and other recovery operations. Specifically, 6.3 tonnes were recycled, while 6.6 tonnes underwent other recovery operations. For waste that, due to its nature, cannot be recovered, safe and controlled final management is implemented through specialised and licensed processes.

The initiative therefore integrates circular economy principles into the Group’s day-to-day operations, shifting the model from the traditional “use → dispose” approach to a “prevention → reduction → reuse → refurbishment → recycling → recovery → safe disposal” model.

The innovation of this approach lies precisely in adapting circular economy principles to the specific characteristics of healthcare activities: where recycling is not safe, waste is reduced; where equipment can continue to be used, its lifecycle is extended; and where materials can be safely recovered, they are returned to the circular economy.

In this way, BIOIATRIKI transforms the circular economy from a general environmental principle into a measurable operational practice, supported by specific interventions, quantitative targets and documented results.

The initiative is implemented in collaboration with licensed waste management and recovery partners, as well as with manufacturers and suppliers of medical and biomedical equipment, for the return, refurbishment, reuse and recycling of equipment that reaches the end of its operational lifecycle within the Group.

The implementation of circular management practices requires the participation of employees in the daily processes of material use, waste prevention, proper waste segregation and safe waste management. Environmental awareness and culture are strengthened through employee training. In 2025, a total of 17,113 training hours were delivered across the Group.

The initiative generated measurable environmental results in 2025:

421.1 t of total waste generated.
12.8 t of waste diverted from final disposal.
6.3 t sent for recycling.
6.6 t directed to other recovery operations.
176 machines included in circular management processes.
141 machines returned to manufacturers for refurbishment/reuse.
19 machines sent for recycling.
16 machines utilised through resale.
37.5% reduction in the volume of blood collection tubes through the transition from 8 ml to 5 ml tubes.
18,315,927 laboratory tests performed annually with the implementation of waste prevention and responsible waste management practices.

The initiative contributes to reducing plastic and natural resource consumption, preventing the generation of infectious waste, and keeping materials and equipment in use for longer periods.

The initiative supports the Group’s sustainable and resource-efficient operations by reducing the consumption of raw materials and waste generation at source, extending the lifecycle of medical and biomedical equipment, and increasing the amount of waste directed to recycling or recovery rather than final disposal.

At the same time, it strengthens environmental compliance, the rational use of resources and employees’ environmental awareness and culture. The approach integrates circular economy principles into the day-to-day operations of an organisation that performs more than 18.3 million laboratory tests and 2 million imaging examinations annually.