What is it about?

The healthcare industry's significant environmental impact has prompted the urgent need for sustainable practices. MedTech companies play a crucial role in advancing circularity within the sector by adopting sustainable approaches to product design, resource management, and waste reduction. This research aims to explore how MedTech companies initiate and drive transformation towards circular practices and the key factors influencing their successful transition.

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Why is it important?

The healthcare industry is a vital pillar of modern society, providing essential services to promote human health and well-being. However, its significant environmental impact, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and medical waste generation, has raised concerns about its sustainability and contribution to global environmental challenges. Medical technology (MedTech) companies, as key stakeholders in the healthcare industry, play a critical role in driving the transformation towards a circular economy within the sector. Circular practices in MedTech involve the adoption of sustainable and environmentally responsible approaches to product design, resource management, and waste reduction. By embracing circularity, MedTech companies can contribute to minimizing their environmental footprint, promoting resource efficiency, and reducing medical waste generation, thus advancing the healthcare sector's sustainability agenda.

Perspectives

Using a qualitative approach, four multinational MedTech companies' case studies are conducted, employing semi-structured interviews with 33 managers and healthcare professionals. The results reveal a model grounded in dynamic capabilities, comprising three stages: sensing, seizing, and transforming, guided by adaptability and flexibility. The study extends the understanding of how MedTech companies can proactively respond to environmental challenges and embrace circular economy practices.

Dr. Thinh Gia Hoang
RMIT University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Transformative capabilities of MedTech organizations in driving circularity in the healthcare industry: Insights from multiple cases, Journal of Cleaner Production, February 2024, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141370.
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