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MedTech Sustainability by Design
MedTech Sustainability by Design is the podcast where the world's leading experts in medical device, sustainable plastics, eco-design, and regulatory compliance share their expertise. Each episode cuts through the complexity of plastic selection, regulatory changes, medical device engineering or sustainable plastics — so MedTech engineers and start-up teams can build devices that are good for the patient, good for the planet and profitable.
Your host, Lucas Pianegonda, is a globally recognized expert for plastics in medical technology. As founder of Gradical, a consultancy dedicated to making MedTech more sustainable with plastics, Lucas has guided dozens of medical device, IVD and pharma companies through some of the field's most complex material challenges. He asks the questions your R&D team would ask and gets you the answers you actually need.
Topics covered include:
• Sustainable plastics and eco-design strategies for MedTech
• Plastic selection for medical devices, in-vitro diagnostics and combination products
• Biocompatibility, sterilization and the medical grade concept
• Regulatory requirements and changes across global markets
• Recycling, medical waste, and the circular economy in healthcare
Is your team struggling to make your Device or Packaging more sustainable? Schedule a call with Lucas: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/discovery-call-gradical?
Learn more about Gradical and its services at www.gradical.ch
Episodes
43 episodes
The Sustainable Plastic That's Actually CHEAPER Than Fossil Fuels with Alex Braun, Chairman of Pillar Ltd
Most sustainable plastics cost two to six times more than oil-based alternatives. That's why you don't see them everywhere. Alex Braun decided to fix that.Alex is the Chairman of Pillar Ltd, an Israeli industrial R&D company with 26 ...
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The Autoinjector Redesigned: Less Plastic, Lower Cost, Same Safety with John Palmer-Felgate, Founder & CTO of Eco-Inject
Over a billion autoinjectors are used every year. Almost all of them are single-use. Almost all of that plastic gets incinerated.John Palmer-Felgate spent 30 years designing medical devices. At some point, he decided to actually fix the ...
CAPA Done Right: How to Turn Quality Firefighting into Continuous Improvement with Georg Digel, Founder of Elevate CAPA
A lot of MedTech companies treat CAPA as a compliance exercise. They open a record, close a record, and survive the audit. Georg Digel has spent his career watching what happens when that's the only goal… and it's not pretty.Georg is the...
Remanufacturing Single-Use Medical Devices with Ulrike Marczak, CEO at Vanguard
This episode is brought to you by Vanguard, a company specializing in remanufacturing single-use medical devices to as-good-as-new condition.A device labeled "single-use" gets thrown away after one patient. That makes sense for a syringe...
The Bio-Based Pipette at comparable costs to conventional Plastic | Bastien Manuel, Commercial Director at elm-plastic
Bastien Manuel recognized that sustainability was inevitable for most medical plastic manufacturers. At elmplastic, he proactively established his business with that future in mind.He's Commercial Director at elm-plastic GmbH, a Ge...
How Advisory Boards Can Help You Make Strategically Sound Decisions with Jordan Morrison, Founding Partner at Synera Advisory
This episode is brought to you by Synera Advisory.Most MedTech founders treat FDA clearance like it's the finish line. Jordan Morrison has an entire bookshelf of cleared devices that can't sell to prove it isn't.She's Fou...
Recycling is Just an Extension of Linearity with Patrick Zimmermann, Managing Director at FKuR Kunststoff GmbH
This episode is brought to you by FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, a leading producer and distributor of bio-based and compostable plastics."Recycling is just an extension of linearity."Patrick Zimmermann posts the same sentence on Li...
How to Build a Medical Device That Actually Sells with Lisa Voronkova, CEO of OVA Solutions
If you want to make your medical devices more sustainable, let's talk—: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/discovery-call-gradicalMos...
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How AI Can 10x Medical Device Development with Prof. Dr. Christian Johner
If you want to make your medical devices more sustainable, let's talk: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/discovery-call-gradicalWhat...
Why Sustainability and Compliance Are Becoming the Same Thing with Julian Lotz, BIOVOX
If you're a MedTech company struggling to make your devices more sustainable, let’s talk—BOOK A CALL HERE: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/di...
The Real Cost of Medical Waste (And Why Hospitals Are Changing Their Approach) with Andy Marshall
This episode is sponsored by Sterilis Solutions: https://sterilissolutions.com"How much is medical waste actually costing us?" is one of the questions hospitals are finally asking out l...
How Do You Know Your Medical Device Material Will Pass Biocompatibility Testing? with Marina Daineko
"Is this material going to be biocompatible?" is one of the most commonly asked questions in medical device development.The problem is, there's no such thing as a biocompatible material.In this episode, I speak with Marina Daineko...
Can Chemical Recycling Solve MedTech's Sustainability Crisis? with Reinier Grimbergen
Chemical recycling is often presented as a silver bullet. But is it actually viable for medical-grade plastics?In this episode, I speak with Reinier Grimbergen, CTO of Blue Circle Olefins, about what chemical recycling really is, ...
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How to Innovate Faster in MedTech: Solving the Speed-to-Market Problem with Spencer Jones
Why does it take so long to bring a medical device to market? And what can we actually do about it?Spencer Jones is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of XO MedTech and MedTech Vendors. In this episode, he breaks down the real problem...
How Do You Choose The Right Sterilization Method For Your Device? with Manuel Grandy
If you are building or scaling a medical device, sterilization problems will catch up with you. Usually later in the process than you want.In this episode, I speak with Manuel Grandy, Consultant and Managing Partner at SteriComp GmbH<...
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Is Sustainability Actually Strategic? with Casper Venbjerg Hansen
Many companies say sustainability matters, but only a few treat it as part of their strategy. One of them is Ambu, a global MedTech company and the market leader in single-use endoscopy. In this episode, Casper Venbjerg Hansen, Senior...
Understanding LCAs: The Hidden Factors That Shape Environmental Impact with Thomas Kägi
Many organizations rely on LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments) to guide sustainability decisions, but the method is only as reliable as the data and assumptions used to build it. In this episode, Thomas Kägi, Member of the Board at Carbotech AG
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Why Hospitals Say No: The Harsh Truth About MedTech Commercialization with Jim Surek
Hospitals review new devices through a process that is far more complex than most teams expect. In this episode, commercialization specialist Jim Surek explains how he evaluates medical technologies and the three-part funnel he uses to p...
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What If Engineers Could Innovate Instead of Wasting Time on Documentation with Karl J. Larsson (Aligned)
Every MedTech company wants to innovate faster, but most are slowed down by one thing they barely realize is consuming half their development time: technical documentation.In this episode, Karl J. Larsson, co-founder of ...
Is the Packaging of Implants the Next Big Sustainability Challenge in MedTech? with Marcel Kunz (Straumann Group)
Marcel Kunz, Head of Packaging at Straumann Group, has spent his career making dental implant packaging safe, sterile, and sustainable.In this episode, he joins Lucas Pianegonda to share Straumann’s six “Golden Rules” fo...
Building the First Bio-Based Breathing Circuit with Thomas Willemsen (GaleMed Group)
When Thomas Willemsen became CEO of GaleMed Group, he saw an opportunity to redefine medical consumables for a sustainable future. In partnership with Gradical, his team created the BioVent-Circuit — the world’s first anesthesi...
Redesigning a Single-Use Medical Device to SLASH Waste and Cost (Case Study) with Pablo Yániz González
Industrial design engineer Pablo Yániz González, who recently graduated in Integrated Product Design at TU Delft's Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, set out to make a single-use inflator more sustainable and ended up desig...
How “Hybrid-Use” Medical Devices Can Cut Waste AND Save Hospitals Millions with Dr. Axel Boese
Dr. Axel Boese has spent years studying how hospitals can innovate sustainably — and one of his biggest insights challenges the status quo of “single-use.”In most hospitals, medical tools are used once and then thrown away. For so...
Arne Jaksch - Toxicological Risk Assessment
Arne Jaksch is an expert in toxicology and managing director of his own company Jaksch Life Science Consulting. He supports medical technology, pharmaceutical and chemical companies in the biological and toxicological evaluation of their produc...
Maximilian Hofmann - Challenges in MedTech Sustainability
Maximilian Hofmann is Sustainability Manager at Raumedic a leading component supplier, CDMO and medical device manufacturer for some of its products. In the 4 years at Raumedic he established sustainability management systems, ISCC-PLUS certifi...
