We are pleased to announce that Mary Ann Drosnock and Jürgen Wirtz-Stark have been elected to the SBA Board of Directors during the SBA Spring Conference in Copenhagen.
Both bring valuable experience and active involvement in SBA’s work:
We look forward to their contributions as Board members and thank them for their continued commitment to advancing the SBA’s mission.
At the same time, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Ralph Basile and Frits van Gastel for their dedicated service on the Board. As they have decided to retire from their Board roles, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
Their contributions have been instrumental in shaping the direction of the SBA, and their impact will be felt for years to come.
People in the picture: Mary Ann Drosnock, Ralph Basile, Jürgen Wirtz, Nina Tillaeus (DG), Dhuanne Doddrill, Thibaut Hyvernat (Chair), Tanja Venäläinen
Some highlights from last week’s Sterile Barrier Association Spring conference held in the beautiful city of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was an eventful few days filled with engaging committee discussions and enlightening presentations on various sustainability topics. We were fortunate to have guest speakers from EORNA, Chalmers University of Technology, and Medicoindustrien, along with presentations from potential new members SWM International and GBA Group Pharma & Medical Devices.
One of the standout moments was the workshop held on our final day, where all members participated in shaping the SBA strategy. It was inspiring to see the collective effort in defining our values, vision, mission, and strategic focus areas. Patient safety, collaboration, and integrity are at the core of our mission as we strive to ensure that patients receive safe care, protected by innovative and sustainable sterile barrier solutions.
All conference materials are now available for our members in the Members section of our website.
If you are not yet a member but are interested in joining our community, please check our membership eligibility criteria and fill out the form Become a member/affiliate of the SBA | Sterile Barrier Association to become a member or an affiliate of the SBA.
Together, we can make a significant impact on patient safety and sustainability in healthcare.
We are excited to announce the launch of the completely refreshed Sterile Barrier Association website!
This new site features a modern and clean design, enhanced performance and accessibility, and a more intuitive user experience. Whether you’re a member, partner, or healthcare professional, you’ll find it easier than ever to access key resources, stay updated on industry developments, and engage with our global community.
This upgrade is part of our ongoing commitment to provide education in the use of sterile barrier systems.
We invite you to explore the new site and welcome your feedback.
The Sterile Barrier Association has prepared this poster to provide guidance to healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers on the symbols used to label different types of sterile barrier systems and protective packaging. These symbols were created to help ensure correct handling and aseptic presentation of different SBS and PP configurations.
It’s important that healthcare staff can correctly identify and differentiate which type of SBS or PP they are working with. This helps to ensure that they handle the packaging correctly and use the correct aseptic presentation method to maintain patient safety. We encourage you to print this poster out and place it where your healthcare staff can easily consult it.
Save the date for our 2025 Spring Conference!
We’ll be holding the next SBA conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from 26-28th of May, 2025. Save the date in your calendars now! You’ll find more information about the location, as well as booking details for the hotel in the member’s section on www.sterilebarrier.org
We look forward to seeing you there!
SBA’s Sustainability Committee has prepared a new “Reflection paper on environmental sustainability” This reflection paper addresses the environmental sustainability of healthcare packaging, specifically emphasising single-use sterile barrier systems (SBS) and pre-formed SBS, protective packaging (PP), and their packaging. Document is now available in the Document library.
The SBA is pleased to see the revised and approved Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) finally published this week in the Official Journal. The new PPWR will enter into force 20 days after its publication and the existing PPWD will then be repealed 18 months after that.
You can find the text of the PPWR here: Regulation – EU – 2025/40 – EN – EUR-Lex
The SBA is thankful for being able to engage with other stakeholders in the development of this important regulation. It has been and it is our position, that sales packaging of sterile medical technologies, and in particular Sterile Barrier Systems packaging, needs special consideration, and the SBA welcomes the exemptions that have been introduced for medical and pharmaceutical packaging which are necessary for patient safety.
SBA members are already committed to and will continue to be committed to the use of the least possible amount of packaging to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry’s supply chain without compromising product safety and quality. In addition, SBA members are already looking at recyclability and exploring options for circularity.
Furthermore, SBA members are also working on extensive guidance on the PPWR for sterile barrier systems, which will be published soon and we will continue to be engaged as a stakeholder in the development of upcoming secondary legislation. Join the SBA if you want to be part of this process!
We are excited to share with you the first-ever Annual Report of the Sterile Barrier Association. This report highlights our activities, achievements, and the impact we’ve made over the past year, showcasing the value of being part of the SBA.
You can access the report on our website. It is available in the document library: https://sterilebarrier.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SBA_Annual-Report-2024.pdf
We’d like to wish everyone, especially our members and partners, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗕𝗔!
As winter’s glow lights up the night,
We send you warmth and pure delight.
With sterile care in all we do,
Our bond grows strong, thanks to you.
May joy and peace fill your days,
And the New Year shine in splendid ways!
See you in 2025!
MEDICA / Compamed in Düsseldorf is one of the largest medical trade fairs in the world. Many of the SBA members will be there, sharing their innovation, insight and expertise on #medicaldevice packaging. To find out who’s going and where they’ll be, check out the “Meet A Member” page on our website: https://sterilebarrier.org/events/medica-compamed-2024/
