Healthcare technology
Calls to remove barriers to sustainable HealthTech
The NHS plans to stop purchasing from suppliers who do not meet or exceed its commitment to Net Zero and yet the HealthTech industry continues to face barriers and challenges to bringing sustainable medical devices to market. So, what can the NHS do to encourage innovation in sustainable HealthTech and ultimately reduce its carbon footprint?
At EBME Expo, sustainability and the HealthTech sector was high on the agenda. Simon Hall, an award winning sustainable medical devices pioneer and Founder of Airway Medical,1 provided an overview of global sustainability goals and the Net Zero ambitions of the NHS in the UK. Previously a Service Engineer in UK hospitals, Simon has a background of 40 years of working within medical device companies. As an entrepreneur who is “passionate about Saving Lives Sustainably”, Simon founded the company in June 2019 and has since overseen the development of sustainable life saving devices – such as CAMSUtm, an airway medical suction unit which is manufactured from a renewable, medical grade organic plastic, derived from castor bean oil. The device provides instantaneous vacuum to -60Kpa; the same as portable electric/battery devices, without requiring a reliable source of electricity. However, the pathway for innovation in sustainable HealthTech is not without its hurdles, as Simon highlighted in his presentation. So, what can the NHS do to pave the way for increased investment in the development of innovative and sustainable medical devices in the future?
The drive for sustainable healthcare Simon explained that the UN recognised that there was a climate emergency, back in the 1980s, which led to the publication of the Brundtland report in 1987. This report encouraged governments to participate in discussions around greenhouse gases and climate change, and to invest in research. In 2015, the UN produced seventeen sustainability development goals. Then, in July 2022, the NHS became the first health system to embed Net Zero into legislation, through the Health and Care Act 2022. Despite the NHS declaring its Net Zero ambitions, only two delegates in the room were familiar with the definitions of ‘Scope 1,
carbon footprint attributed to medical devices. “When NHS England did this research, they
calculated that 10% of the carbon footprint is allocated to medical devices – but it really doesn’t make any sense. When you look at the number of medical devices that are out there and what they contribute in terms of their embodied carbon, the electricity that they consume, and their environmental footprint at the end of their life, it seems inconceivable that it’s 10%. “At the moment, there isn’t a single medical
2 and 3 carbon emissions’ – suggesting that there is much room for further understanding and awareness of how the NHS can impact its emissions. Simon explained that Scope 1 refers to the direct emissions that are owned or controlled by an organisation (for example, buildings, infrastructure, and equipment). Scope 2 and 3 refer to indirect emissions, which are a consequence of the activities of the organisation but occur from sources not owned or controlled by it. For example, Scope 2 may include where the organisation sources its energy supply from, and Scope 3 may include suppliers and the transport of items from their warehouse to the organisation. “With Scope 3, you have some control, but
not full control – you could ask the supplier to deliver their goods in an electric van, for example. Most people, when looking at their sustainability targets, use ‘Scope 2 Plus’ – which covers Scope 1, Scope 2 and the things you can control in Scope 3,” he explained. Airway Medical are ‘Net Zero, to Scope 2 Plus, for example. “By 2030, the NHS will no longer purchase
from suppliers who do not meet or exceed the NHS’s commitment to Net Zero. It is a serious matter for manufacturers,” he warned. He went on to share a slide which illustrated NHS England’s calculations of the percentage of
60
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I December 2024
device that is sustainable out of two million devices available on the market,” Simon pointed out. He explained that each medical device has an embodied carbon value – which is calculated based on the materials used in its manufacture, such as the plastics, electronics, silicone rubber and metal components. “When we consider that there are around two million devices on the market and then calculate the approximate embodied carbon of a typical medical device, our calculations suggest medical devices account for about 16% of the NHS’s carbon footprint (around 4MtCO2e), rather than 10% as quoted,” he commented. “For around about twenty years, it’s been perfectly feasible to produce sustainable medical devices – organic polymers, alternatives to metal and more sustainable electronics have become available, and yet, out of two million medical devices in a catalogue, you wouldn’t be able to find a single sustainable medical device. So, why hasn’t it happened?” he continued. He explained the challenges facing manufacturers in getting new technologies to market – citing an example of an innovative medical device that took seventeen years to get into the care pathway. “This is not uncommon…I’m an innovator as well. I’ve come up with sustainable ideas and I’m four years into the journey and it’s still very challenging. The NHS is one of the most difficult customers to sell to, and there’s lots of reasons for this, but there are also new regulatory
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
