Fresh off the back of this year’s Medica Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Owen Mumford had chance to discuss the industry's most pressing issues with other industry experts, and this year one was more present than ever: sustainability.
Owen Mumford’s accreditation as a B-Corp company has increased its goal to become a beacon in the industry for its sustainable initiatives. Jesper Jonsson, director of medical devices at Owen Mumford has provided insight into growing trends we’ll see within medical devices next year and beyond.
Prioritising the planet, through internal innovation
Our industry is increasingly aware that it must play a part in securing a better future for the planet. But, based on conversations at Medica 2022, embedding sustainable practices into the industry is still in its infancy.
This may be because of the daunting nature of the actions required. Given that so many products in the sector are single use, it may feel impossible for companies to become truly sustainable.
At Owen Mumford, the key to their strategy is taking a holistic approach. This is underpinned by accreditations and partnerships with sustainability organisations to provide support and an opportunity to share insight with like-minded businesses, and also looking at ways companies can innovate internally.
A significant part of Owen Mumford's sustainability strategy is emissions reduction targets. We have committed to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2045, mirroring the UK NHS target. In 2021 it succeeded in reducing Scope 1, and 2 carbon emissions across Owen Mumford sites by 27.3% - and have since continued to identify improvements across our entire infrastructure and reduce our impact.
Joining the B Corp movement
To underline this commitment, we have become one of the first companies in the industry to achieve the coveted B Corp status, assessed by B Lab to meet high social and environmental performance standards, transparency, and accountability.
The thinking behind B Corp is that the world's most challenging and urgent problems cannot be solved purely by governments. Businesses everywhere must be fully involved if the target of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C is to be achieved and sustainable development must be embedded into a company’s strategy.
Introducing the lifecycle analysis tool – to understand the environmental impact of Owen Mumford's products
Internally, one of its biggest jumps forward in our strive for sustainability is the implementation of our LCA (Lifecycle Assessment Tool) throughout our production processes. In order to measure the carbon impact and negate any negative carbon output, the internal tool allows Owen Mumford to measure this across the entire lifecycle of a product’s development and distribution – allowing it to revolutionise and future-proof the next stages of medical device production.
The importance of science-based targets
As a science-driven business, clear targets based on established science provide a well-defined pathway to reducing CO2 emissions. Owen Mumford are one of the first 1000 global businesses to sign up for the 1.5°C commitment to the Business Ambition. The initiative asks members to pledge to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and combat the devastating effects a 1.5°C or higher increase in global temperatures would produce. With the introduction of the LCA – Owen Mumford are striving to continue working towards these goals, and willing to support others in the industry looking to do the same.
What else is changing?
Apps and robots are a rapidly growing and developing presence—not only in clinical environments but also in patients’ homes. Technology can advance not only devices themselves but also provide additional holistic support outside of clinical environments. Apps easily connect patients and healthcare professionals, increasing visibility and management of conditions and helping to ease the increasing burden on health services. As global financial and logistical challenges grip health providers worldwide, innovations in automation could be a welcome advancement in the industry.
Additionally, burnout is an increasingly severe problem among healthcare practitioners throughout the world. The longevity impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place pressure on them, exacerbated by the current crises over energy supply and the cost of living – there's a human impact on healthcare professionals (HCPs) to consider.
Like all medical device manufacturers, we understand that we are responsible for making life easier for HCPs with products that work safely and reliably—and supporting them with strong partnerships and effective collaboration.
Jesper Jonsson said, "It’s clear that sustainability is now a real target for many of us in the medical device industry, and something that we at Owen Mumford are dedicated to furthering innovation and insight into how we can strive for a better future.
"The introduction of our LCA is just one of the first steps we’ve taken to ensure that our entire production process and forward-thinking has sustainability at the very heart of what we do, and will support our commitments and partnerships as we continue towards our goal of balancing profit, people and planet."