Medical devices and sustainability: where high-tech meets greenfield

Medical technology and environmental protection – two worlds that seem as far apart as a pacemaker and a bouquet of flowers. But times are changing and the future demands environmentally friendly solutions in healthcare. After all, we not only want to help patients, but also save our planet.

But how do you develop sustainable medical devices that are safe and environmentally friendly without ending up in the health food store? Spoiler: It's anything but easy! This blog post takes a look behind the scenes and shows how to combine high-tech with environmental responsibility.

Green rules for green products: The challenge starts with the regulations

Did you know that your medical devices are now regulated in the same way as your data protection? The European MDR (Medical Device Regulation) requires you not only to think about safety, but also about the environment. Article 10 of the MDR tells us: ‘Please develop your products in a safe AND environmentally friendly way’. Of course we do!

So we not only think about patients and users, but also about Mother Earth. And in addition to the MDR, there is an army of other standards and guidelines that remind us that sustainability is not a ‘nice to have’, but an obligation. ISO 14001 (environmental management), ISO 50001 (energy management), ISO 13485 (quality management for medical devices), ISO 10993 (biological evaluation), ISO 11607 (packaging for sterilised medical devices), to name just a few. But the best part? Each of these abbreviations comes with its own catalogue of requirements – an auditor's dream!

In addition to regulatory requirements for environmentally friendly medical devices, there are also a number of certifications that have been developed specifically for sustainable materials and products:

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Particularly relevant for medical devices that use wood or paper packaging.
• Cradle to Cradle (C2C): C2C certification is particularly important for manufacturers who want to develop sustainable medical devices that can or should be fully reused or recycled at the end of their service life.
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): This standard is indispensable and an important quality feature for manufacturers of bandages or textiles that come into direct contact with patients.

The stuff green dreams are made of: the search for sustainable materials

Sustainable materials are the superheroes of medical technology – strong, reliable and (hopefully) available everywhere. But in reality, searching and finding them is often more like a treasure hunt. While plastic seems to be everywhere (and that's exactly what the problem is), biodegradable plastics are as rare as a four-leaf clover.

Wood for medical devices? It may sound charming, but it's not particularly practical if you want to develop a sterile surgical instrument. But don't worry, there is hope! Bioplastics, plant-based materials and recycled raw materials are on the rise. But the challenge? They have to meet strict legal requirements. This is about as difficult as brewing a coffee without caffeine that still wakes you up.

Design meets sustainability: aesthetics and function go hand in hand

Better safe than sorry, but it should also be beautiful! The design of environmentally friendly medical devices faces the challenge of combining functionality and ecology. The solution? Cradle to Cradle. In plain language, products must be designed in such a way that they can be fully recycled or reused after use.

But wait a minute: how do you design a product that is robust, hygienic, user-friendly and, on top of that, environmentally friendly? It's quite simple: with a lot of brainpower! The answer lies in innovative materials and processes that allow us to achieve both: functional products and a greener future. And all without sacrificing appealing design. After all, a medical device doesn't have to look like a tree trunk to be ecological.

These complex requirements demand close collaboration between designers, engineers and materials scientists to develop creative solutions that make both environmental and medical sense.

Production processes: Now it's getting serious!

Now we come to the tricky questions. Producing sustainable medical devices is no walk in the park. New materials require new machines, new technologies and, of course, money. The question is: how can you be green without costs skyrocketing? One answer could be lean manufacturing – an approach that helps conserve resources and make processes more efficient.

But be careful: sustainable materials such as bioplastics are not always the easiest players. They can be temperamental and require special treatment. Sterilisation? Sure, that's possible – but not with conventional methods. These often involve chemicals or irradiation that don't necessarily make the green thumb jump for joy. New ideas are needed to sterilise medical products cleanly and in an environmentally friendly way.

Costs and competition: sustainability doesn't come cheap

Sustainable products are great – until you look at the price. Of course, bioplastics and environmentally friendly production processes are more expensive. And while we all want to protect the environment, hospitals and healthcare facilities also have to watch their budgets. This often raises the question: is it even worth it?

The answer: yes, it can be worth it! Investing in green technologies saves money in the long term – through lower energy consumption, less waste and greater efficiency. Certifications and audits also incur costs, but integrated management systems can help to reduce these. The trick is to plan the initial investment wisely and to ensure that the return on investment is not too long in coming.

The supply chain: who supplies the green material?

Medical devices often consist of many different components, which come from suppliers all over the world. But who ensures that these suppliers source their materials sustainably and ethically? This is where the law on due diligence in the supply chain (LkSG) comes in.

What do football and the LkSG actually have in common? We know ‘fair play’ more or less from football and with the new supply chain law, it now also applies to companies - medical device manufacturers are not exempt from these corporate due diligence obligations in the supply chain! Is it legitimate? We say: yes, because in addition to sustainability and environmental compatibility, medical device manufacturers must also meet ethical and social criteria. It requires us to identify risks such as human rights violations or environmental damage and to take action.

To meet the regulatory requirements of the MDR and other standards, it is important to enable seamless traceability of medical devices, including their components, and to ensure complete transparency along the supply chain.

Fortunately, we live in the age of digital technologies. Blockchain, big data and AI can help increase transparency in the supply chain. This way, we know exactly where our materials come from and whether they meet green standards.

Recycling and the circular economy: what happens after we throw something away?

Recycling is anything but trivial in the medical technology industry. The products often consist of complex material mixtures that must be safe, sterile and durable. But we have no choice but to rise to the challenge. Take-back systems and innovative recycling technologies are the key to closed loops.

We dream of a future in which every medical device can simply be recycled or reused at the end of its lifespan – in line with the ‘circular economy’. This not only protects the environment, but also saves money.

Data management: the secret ingredient for sustainability

In a world in which medical devices are becoming increasingly intelligent, data management is the key to sustainability. We need to know where our materials come from, how much energy we consume during production and how we can minimise the environmental footprint of our products. Modern data management systems help us to collect and analyse all this information.

But that's not all: medical devices often collect sensitive patient data. This data must be stored not only securely but also as energy-efficiently as possible. Server farms consume vast amounts of energy – it's time to find sustainable solutions here, too!

Looking to the future: green is the new high-tech

The future of medical technology will be green, intelligent and sustainable. Technologies such as AI, IoT and digital platforms will help us to use resources more efficiently and protect the environment. IT solutions will play a crucial role in this. This is where adesso comes in: with customised digital tools, we help optimise supply chains, make production processes more efficient and keep the environmental footprint of our products as small as possible.

With digital platforms that create transparency across the entire product life cycle, we enable manufacturers not only to meet legal requirements, but also to achieve their sustainability goals. Whether it's the traceability of materials using blockchain technologies or the implementation of AI-supported processes to optimise resources, adesso is at the forefront when it comes to making medical technology green.

Those who invest in sustainable innovations and rely on digital solutions from adesso will reap long-term benefits – both economically and ecologically. It's a rocky road, but with the right partners like adesso at your side, the reward at the end is a healthier future for us, for patients and for our planet.

Would you like to learn more about exciting topics from the world of adesso? Then take a look at our blog posts published so far.