The cross-sector consortium has joined forces to elicit and make visible what is needed to transform the Bavarian healthcare industry into a true "circular economy"
Background
Circular economy, sustainability and recycling - these important topics have also become an integral part of the healthcare sector. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. showed that they play a rather subordinate role in day-to-day business despite their high relevance. For example, only a quarter of the companies surveyed stated that they are involved in the area of environmental sustainability, even though the healthcare industry in Germany is responsible for 5.2% of global CO2 emissions.
Project Objectives, Activities and results
The project is divided into six work packages: At the beginning a basic overview of the regulatory framework at the interface of the Circular Economy and medical technology will be compiled and the current state of research will be investigated. In the heavily regulated environment of medical devices, it is essential to record the status quo of the current legal requirements. In addition, the status of scientific research in the field of medical device circularity must also be elicited. The following creation of a survey to interview numerous stakeholders in the network will serve to identify challenges and hurdles to the implementation of a circular economy in the healthcare industry. In the next step, the aim is to identify first-practice approaches and to examine how these can be transferred to the entire industry. With the help of a round table and a partnering event, the insights gained will be presented in order to develop a strategy on how to transfer them to the entire industry. Based on the derivation of practice guidelines, a presentation and roadmap for transforming the healthcare economy from a linear to a circular economy will be developed.
Consortium
In addition to Umweltcluster Bayern, the following partners are represented in the project:
- Medical Technology Cluster (through the sponsors Forum MedTech Pharma e.V. and Medical Valley EMN e. V)
- ZD.B Digital Production and Engineering thematic platform
Funding and Project Duration
MeDiCircle project is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy as part of the "Cross-Cluster Bavaria 2023" funding initiative.
The project started on 01.01.2023 and runs until 31.12.2023.
Further information
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