In the medical technology sector, discussions of sustainability often focus on packaging, energy consumption, or waste reduction. The actual use of recycled materials in medical devices, however, remains a major challenge to this day—particularly due to regulatory requirements, technical standards, and stringent safety requirements.
This is exactly where our current recycling project centered on BlueLavage® comes in.
Together with our partners Renewi, GreenCycl and Oudshoorn chirurgische techniek B.V. we are working to make recycled materials suitable for use in sterile plastic components of a medical device for the first time.
The starting point of the project:
Used surgical drapes from hospitals are collected, reprocessed, and turned into new plastic pellets. This material was then tested for the first components of our BlueLavage® system—initially only for parts that do not come into direct contact with patients.
The results so far are extremely promising.
The recycled material meets the technical requirements for this application exceptionally well and demonstrates that a circular economy can be achieved even under the high quality standards of medical technology.
This makes BlueLavage® one of the first medical devices in the world to actively integrate recycled materials into its product development.
For us, this project is much more than just a sustainability initiative.
The European medical technology sector is increasingly facing challenges such as dependence on raw materials, geopolitical uncertainties, and rising regulatory requirements. At the same time, pressure is mounting on hospitals and manufacturers to develop more sustainable solutions without compromising on quality, safety, or clinical functionality.
This is exactly where we see great potential in closed-loop material cycles.
BlueLavage® already takes a different approach than traditional pulse lavage systems:
Thanks to the rechargeable DriveUnit, no electronic waste is generated in the operating room, as only the plastic components need to be disposed of. This conserves resources while also streamlining clinical procedures.
Therefore, for us, the recycling project is the next logical step in our development.
An important milestone was the presentation of the project at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe, the leading trade show and conference for plastics recycling and the circular economy. There, the GreenCycl GO product line was also nominated as a finalist for the Plastic Recycling Awards Europe .
We found the exchange with companies in the recycling, materials development, and industrial sectors particularly valuable. It demonstrated that sustainable innovations will increasingly emerge across industry boundaries in the future—even in a highly regulated field such as medical technology.
Our next goal is clear:
Gaining regulatory approval of Recycling-BlueLavage® and its subsequent market launch.
We are fully convinced:
If sustainability is to become a reality in medical technology, new concepts must not only be discussed but also developed, tested, and validated under real-world conditions.
BlueLavage® represents an approach that combines innovation, clinical functionality, and resource conservation—with the goal of establishing sustainable solutions in modern medical technology for the long term.
