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
MedTech Sustainability by Design
The Bio-Based Pipette at comparable costs to conventional Plastic | Bastien Manuel, Commercial Director at elm-plastic
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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 Germany-based, family-owned converter of plastic and manufacturer of pharmaceutical plastic devices. In 2025, they launched what they believe is the only commercially available bio-based plastic oral dosing device on the market: a sustainable pharmaceutical pipette made exclusively made from bio-sourced materials. In this episode, he discusses their approach, how they achieved it, and why the cost argument against sustainable medical plastics is less compelling than most procurement teams believe.
Here's what we get into:
- How eco-design can offset the higher price of bio-based raw materials
- Why volume, scale, and long-term contracts change the equation entirely
- How a family-owned business moves faster on sustainability than PE-backed competitors
- Why early adopters of sustainable medical plastics are gaining a strategic market advantage now
- An overview of the current regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical companies and what developments are expected next
If you want to make your medical devices more sustainable, let's talk: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/discovery-call-gradical
🔗 CONNECT WITH BASTIEN MANUEL:
Website: https://elmplastic.com/de/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bastianmanuel/
🔗 CONNECT WITH US:
🎧 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gradical-podcast-the-podcast-about-plastics-in/id1773569554
🟢 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/4vNQ6rPE2CQUGgQtEY3sYq
📺 YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@GradicalGmbH
🌍 Gradical: https://gradical.ch/
📩 Work with us: lucas.pianegonda@gradical.ch
#MedtechSustainabilityByDesignPodcast #GradicalPodcast #MedTech #MedicalDevices #Bioplastics #SustainableMedTech #Pharma
Do you enjoy this podcast? Then subscribe, rate it on your platform, and join the discussion on LinkedIn! Your feedback and comments help us improve the podcast and bring you relevant topics. Let’s form a better world with plastics!
If you are a Medtech company struggling to make your devices more sustainable, let’s talk—BOOK A CALL HERE.