Serres Nemo Among Top Finalists at the 17th German Sustainability Award
At Serres, sustainability is deeply rooted within our culture and reflects our brand promise to bring responsible workflow to the operating room. Therefore, we are thrilled that our Serres Nemo surgical fluid disposal device has been selected as a finalist for the 17th German Sustainability Award (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis) in the award’s “Climate” category for sustainable products and services.
Serres Nemo is one of 30 Finalists out of 1000 Applicants
The German Sustainability Award, organized by the German Sustainability Award Foundation and granted in cooperation with the German government, is one of Europe’s most prestigious awards in the field of environmental and social responsibility. The award recognizes forerunners across various industries who are transforming how we approach a sustainable future. Aligned with the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the German government’s sustainability strategy, the award highlights different key areas of transformation – ranging from climate, biodiversity, resources, supply chain, to society.
Out of over 1,000 applications, our Serres Nemo has been selected among the top 30 finalists in the product award category “Climate”. This category recognizes innovative products and services that significantly contribute to climate protection, aiming for rapid decarbonization with forerunning CO2-neutral and energy-saving solutions.
Serres Nemo Helps Hospitals on Their Journey to Net Zero
The healthcare sector is responsible for nearly 5% of global emissions, with some high-income nations contributing up to 10% (1). Thereby, operating rooms alone account for almost 25-30% of a hospital’s carbon footprint (2). One key action to reduce CO2 emissions is minimizing the amount of waste generated. Our surgical fluid disposal solution, Serres Nemo, supports hospitals on their journey to net zero by tackling the environmental burden of operating room waste.
Serres Nemo functions as a closed-loop fluid management system with our Serres Suction Bag system. Our Serres Suction bags ensure the safe collection of oftentimes hazardous or infectious patient fluids collected during surgical procedures. With an exceptional quality – for every million uses only one reported failure – our Serres Suction bags ensure patient and healthcare safety even in the most demanding conditions, supporting more than 75,000 operations worldwide each day.
As an integrated solution with the Serres Suction Bag system, our fluid disposal device, Serres Nemo, secures the safe and sustainable disposal of the collected patient fluids. Instead incinerating the full Serres Suction bags, Serres Nemo flushes their diluted content into the sewer, leaving only the empty bags for incineration. This process significantly helps to reduce the amount of operating room waste generated, resulting in a reduction of up to 97% of CO2e emissions from waste transport to incineration – all while enhancing healthcare safety and reducing waste disposal costs by up to 97%.
To fully understand the environmental impact of our products and find innovative ways to reduce it, we conducted a carbon footprint caste study using a cradle-to-grave life-cycle analysis. Read more about it in our blog post on the CO2e footprint of a 2l Serres Suction bag.
The final winners of the German Sustainability Award will be announced on the German Sustainability Day on 29 November 2024. Regardless of the outcome, we at Serres are immensely proud to be recognized as a forerunner in sustainability by this prestigious award and are determined to continue our journey towards a more sustainable future for the healthcare industry.
(1) Climate change and health: three grand challenges | Nature Medicine
(2) Cultivating sustainability in NBT’s operating theatres | North Bristol NHS Trust
