|
About Making Medical Plastics
Sector More Sustainable
As published in
medicalplasticsnews.com ,Matthew Durbin, co-founder of Tone
Product Design, explains that there’s a lot more product designers
can do to build a better future.
The correct design strategy for
minimising medical device waste is somewhat dependent on product
value. Lower-value products looking to reduce, recycle and dispose
can design for separation, waste management and recycling, for
example. For higher-value products there’s an opportunity to
develop with reprocessing and durability in mind or to take a
hybrid route.
A hybrid design strategy, where
reusable components are coupled with disposable elements, provides
the ability to reuse parts of the device – this is especially
useful when considering devices where the largest component
doesn’t come into contact with biological mechanisms and is
reusable without the need for disinfection. Designers need to
consider the total lifecycle of these products, minimise
non-renewable materials and consider alternative approaches.
For example, a recently designed a
product called Releaf Freedom, which allows everyone, but
especially elderly and less able patients, to urinate comfortably
whether standing or seated, giving them the independence and
dignity of being able to manage going to the loo without help from
a carer. The two-part architecture involves a disposable
biodegradable bag and a reusable handle. Many other products in
this sector are entirely disposable, meaning that a vast amount of
plastic is wasted after just one use. The Releaf Freedom handle
can be reused hundreds of times, vastly reducing the waste
generated.
(
https://www.medicalplasticsnews.com/medical-plastics-industryinsights/medical-plastics-thought-leadership/how-can-we-make-themedical-sector-more-sustainable/
)
* * * * *
|
