CirculaR economy for small Medical devices (ReMed)

Second ReMed Conference acknowledged as “the most informative event on the path to circular use of medical devices” The second ReMed Conference took place on 17th September 2024 at Loughborough University. The conference brought together over 100 delegates working across the value chain of medical devices including: design consultancy, manufacturing, waste management, reprocessing, healthcare providers and academia to discuss the latest developments and future opportunities for the transition to a circular use of these devices. Prof Shahin Rahimifard, Principal Investigator of the ReMed Project opened the conference: "Since the start of the ReMed Project in September 2022, it is with great excitement that we have observed a rapid growth in national and international initiatives exploring a range of solutions for a transition from linear single use to a circular reuse and/or material recovery from Medical Devices (MD). Due to the inherent nature of MD supply chain, application of Circular Economy (CE) in this sector necessitates the careful considerations for its global dimensions. The complexity in the framework of regulations and standards across various countries, regions and continents provides one of the greatest challenges in adopting CE within the medical industry. In addition, an interdisciplinary, holistic and integrated approach is required to consider the many other challenges involved in product redesign and recertification, new materials upgrade and substitution, SMART digital manufacturing, developing new business models for supply and use as well as novel technologies for recovery and reprocessing of MD. The development of easy-to-use life cycle assessment tools to analyse impacts and support decisions is also seen as a key enabler in the attainment of net-zero targets for which application of CE plays a vital role." A welcome speech was delivered by Professor Rachel Thomson, Loughborough University Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost, who talked about the importance of circular economy research as part of the new University strategy “Creating a Better Future together,” which focuses on three themes of climate change and net zero; sport, health and well-being; and vibrant and inclusive community. The PVC reaffirmed: "Loughborough’s tradition of conducting world-leading research in close collaboration with industry, through successfully hosting Innovation Hubs which aim to bring together multiple of collaborating universities and organisations to achieve a common goal" Three informative keynote presentations were given by: 1) Mr Liam Hogg - Head of Waste and Resources for NHS England - outlining the ‘Future of NHS Waste Strategy’ 2) Dr Karen Mayor - Deputy Director for Data, Analysis and Resilience in Medical Technologies at the Department of Health and Social Care – summarising the main outcomes from ‘Design for Life’ initiatives 3) Mrs Lena Cordie-Bancroft - Sector Lead for Medical Devices at British Standards Institute, highlighting the paramount importance of ‘Standards in Guiding Healthcare Industry to Circular Practices’. The rest of the day was divided into 3 thematic sessions, representative of the workstreams being investigated within ReMed project; namely Automated reprocessing of medical devices; Operational changes and health economics; and Circular design and sustainable materials for MD. In each thematic session, talks were given by the ReMed researchers who presented progress within the ReMed project, and we were also privileged to have excellent guest speakers for each session, bringing to life real-world examples of sustainability within the healthcare sector.