23 Oct Environmental Sustainability in Design
Healthcare’s Contribution to the Climate Crisis
As global populations increase and demands on healthcare rise, the urgency to address environmental sustainability becomes all the more critical. It is reported that hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year, 25% of which is estimated to be plastic. Pharmaceutical drugs have contaminated waterways and medical waste has been washed up on beaches, resulting in damage to our health and ecosystems. The healthcare industry in general is responsible for a reported 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. There are many contributing factors to consider, not only the energy needed for production and the waste generated by single-use products and packaging but also the issue of durable devices becoming broken or outdated. Often insufficient thought has been given as to what happens to these items at the end of their usable life. The full life cycle of these items can create a huge environmental impact from the sourcing and processing of materials, production, transportation, use, and disposal.
The overlooked complete life cycle of products poses a potential threat of disease transmission, infection, and overall harm to our well-being. Consequently, this places additional strain on healthcare systems. “The World Health Organization recently declared environmental damage as the world’s leading cause of premature death. Yet a single operation can produce up to 814kg of CO2, the same as driving up to 2,273 miles in an average petrol car.”
Furthermore, the amount of electronic waste (known as WEEE or e-waste) generated every year is increasing rapidly. In some regions it is now one of the fastest-growing waste streams, leading to significant health issues caused by the release of toxic chemicals upon disposal.
The Shift
Despite the concept of sustainable design being around for decades, it has unfortunately been slow to emerge into the MedTech industry. So many of the products we still use today are designed around the linear economy model of take, make, and waste. Thankfully our awareness and consideration of the environment, our planet’s resources, and human health has drastically improved in recent years, and we are seeing more demand for sustainable thinking across all industries.
Here at Key Tech, we are excited to see an increase in demand for a sustainable approach in the MedTech and Life Sciences industry. Since 80% of a product’s environmental impact is decided in the design phases, it is crucial that considerations are taken at the very beginning of innovation, as implementing this later may add more challenges and cost. We see major healthcare companies launch products that address their carbon footprint by reducing the volume of fossil fuel-based plastics, packaging, and single-use disposables. In addition, there are articles such as one from the Royal College of Surgeons, which challenges this apparent pandemic of single-use disposables that we face today, by suggesting there is no evidence to prove that they are superior at protecting from infection.
In our medical studies focused on end users, we are seeing an increase in participants being concerned about the amount of waste they generate from at-home care and how they can be limited in what they are able to reuse and recycle depending on how the product has been designed. Fortunately, regulations are being implemented globally by governments and healthcare organizations, which encourage and, in some cases, enforce greener solutions. Examples of this are Kaiser Permanente, who have made environmental stewardship central to their philosophy and outline key sustainability preferences for their suppliers. NHS in the UK requires suppliers to demonstrate progress on carbon reduction and plastic waste, in line with their targets to become the first net zero healthcare system in the world. We are also encouraged by Stryker, who has placed sustainability at the heart of a profitable business model, by re-furbishing discarded medical waste and re-selling at a reduced cost. As of April 2013, hundreds of hospitals along with pharma companies, medical device makers, insurance companies, suppliers, and group purchasing organizations, have signed the Health Sector Climate Pledge. This commitment involves cutting greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050.
This shift towards sustainable design requires designers and engineers to step back and re-evaluate the design processes and address problems from a different perspective. The scope of its impact is extensive and can appear overwhelmingly vast. However, little by little, participants in the system such as suppliers, manufacturers, and producers, are making small changes that make it feasible to implement positive change such as using recycled content in new parts and setting up take-back schemes to re-furbish or re-process parts. A growing number of companies are recognizing the value of offering products as a service or implementing take-back programs, which in addition to reducing the amount of unsustainable resources, also presents profitable opportunities. By embracing these sustainability practices, companies can also exercise greater control over optimizing technology to keep products upgraded for future requirements rather than constantly creating new ones.
Reducing Key Tech’s Carbon Footprint
Not only is it essential to think about sustainability in the medical device space, for the past 15 years here at Key Tech, we have been working to evolve our green practices in-house. More recently we have been expanding our goals to improve our carbon footprint by reviewing our purchases for office supplies, lowering energy consumption, and improving how we manage waste by encouraging recycling and composting. This has provided a foundation to begin to bring this mindset to our client’s projects. We have a big initiative underway to reduce our carbon footprint as a company, primarily focused on analyzing our scope emissions, evaluating renewable energy provider options, and setting targets for reductions at every level. Key Tech is also evaluating projects from a sustainability perspective, collecting comparison data, and creating guidelines to embrace circular product design.
We as designers and engineers are a part of a critical, yet exciting change towards a circular economy whereby we close the loop in the waste of our resources. With a considered approach we can reduce, reuse, renew, and recycle to maintain our valuable resources and opt for regenerative solutions. Laws and regulations in this space are intensifying, and consumers and organizations are pushing for more sustainable solutions, therefore a sustainable approach is crucial to consider at the inception of every new project.
Her passions include finding innovative solutions to problems and developing products that have a positive impact on people’s lives. She has a strong environmental consciousness and is dedicated to implementing sustainable solutions in the products she creates.
In her spare time, Vicky enjoys taking her son out on day trips, traveling abroad, and generally spending time out in the countryside.
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