MedTech & sustainability
Driving sustainability in MedTech
Sustainability was high on the agenda at EBME Expo. Dr. Helen Meese PhD CEng MIMechE MIPEM MWES FRSA told the delegates that biomedical engineers and technologists are “in a very powerful position to reimagine what the healthcare system is going to look like, particularly around environmental responsibility and technology advancement.”
Speaking at EBME Expo, CEO of The Care Machine, and Hon. Prof. Innovation, Durham University, Dr. Helen Meese, highlighted the key role that delegates could have in driving sustainability in the healthcare sector. She explained that the government has launched some key strategies in 2024-25, including: Invest 2035 and the Road to Recovery mandate. “These strategies emphasise economic renewal,
and healthcare reform through innovation, digitisation, and sustainability. When they are aligned with the Greener NHS Initiative, they form a powerful triumvirate that can have the potential to provide a platform from which biomedical engineers can reshape the MedTech landscape and the healthcare sector as a whole,” she commented. The targets of the Greener NHS Initiative include:
l Sustainable procurement: By 2030, the NHS will only purchase from suppliers that meet Net Zero criteria.
l Low-carbon models of care: Accelerate use of virtual wards, telehealth, and AI-driven diagnostics.
l Waste minimisation: Cut medical waste intensity by 50%, expand reusable medical technologies.
l Net Zero procurement mandate: By 2030, all NHS suppliers must meet strict environmental standards.
The Road to Recovery mandate outlines the government’s objectives for the NHS from January of this year and is focusing on reforming the service to better meet patient needs and improve efficiency.
“In a nutshell, it’s about smarter care, with
prevention, ‘community first’ models, low carbon clinical pathways, and digital services at its core. So, how does this relate to sustainability and Net Zero? Well, the mandate directs Trust boards to live within their allocated budgets and to improve efficiency, each year, by 2%. While this is tight, particularly with the financial controls that the NHS faces, it has the potential to create headroom to invest in Net Zero projects that will reduce capital outlay and raise efficiency. “The shift from hospital to community, and the shift from analogue to digital, both support the greener pathways in terms of reducing travel emissions, encouraging virtual wards and investment in areas like telehealth,” she explained. The Invest 2035 initiative is aimed at providing
certainty and stability for businesses to invest in high-growth sectors, and the plan is to target particular sectors such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing and, crucially, life sciences. It provides incentives for R&D, manufacturing innovation, and sustainable product development – prioritising long-term sustainability plans. “Circular economy models are going to be
key to businesses going forward with this initiative. Invest 2035 forecasts a potential of £142 billion to boost the economy through integrating sustainable growth with industrial competitiveness, and it’s anticipated that this could grow our industries by 38,000 new jobs across the whole of the manufacturing sector, in the next few years. “For the MedTech industries, this means that
there will be greater funding and investment available to spend on things like infrastructure, with a really key emphasis on sustainable medical innovation. This is inviting you – particularly those of you in the audience who are engineers – to focus on scaling up your green initiatives,” she continued. The NHS has committed to becoming the
January 2026 I
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