Sustainability in Dental Manufacturing: Progress and Path Forward

The footprint of a global dental company

Manufacturing dental products at global scale — across 40+ facilities, supplying 130+ countries — creates a substantial environmental footprint. Packaging, energy, water use, chemical waste, and logistics all add up. For years, sustainability was treated as a reporting obligation rather than a strategic priority. That is changing, and the pace of change is accelerating across the industry.

Carbon reduction: progress and gaps

Our Scope 1 and 2 emissions have declined 18% since 2019, driven primarily by facility energy efficiency investments and a shift toward renewable electricity purchasing in Europe. Our largest manufacturing sites now run on certified renewable electricity. Scope 3 remains the harder challenge: supplier emissions, product distribution, and end-of-life disposal account for a much larger share of total lifecycle impact than direct operations. Addressing this requires supplier engagement at scale — a multi-year effort underway with our top 50 suppliers.

Packaging innovation

Single-use packaging is one of the most visible sustainability challenges in dental. We have piloted a returnable packaging program in three European markets and are transitioning 60% of our printed materials to recycled content, working toward fully recyclable primary packaging for our top-20 consumable lines by 2026.

What the industry needs next

Progress is real, but the pace needs to accelerate. Coordinated standards for packaging recyclability, shared infrastructure for chemical waste management at the practice level, and investment in biodegradable alternatives for single-use consumables are all needed — requiring industry-wide collaboration, regulatory partnership, and sustained customer engagement. We are committed to leading that conversation.