Organization: Design.Nexus, Ghent University                                                                                                                             Project info: The medical device industry faces growing pressure to integrate sustainability into its design and production processes while ensuring patient safety and regulatory compliance. The D4SMD (Design for Sustainable Medical Devices) project seeks to address this challenge by developing actionable strategies for embedding sustainability principles into medical device design. Accordingly, within the D4SMD project we aim to create clarity on the synergies and contradictions between Medical Device Regulation (MDR), upcoming sustainability related legislation (e.g., Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation) directly or indirectly targeting medical devices, and sustainable design principles applicable towards medical devices. This will be done by:

• Co-creating practical guidelines specifically tailored to the contexts of medical device design companies for integrating sustainability into medical device design without compromising safety and functionality
• Fostering a holistic approach towards sustainability by considering materials, product design (e.g., modularity, repairability), and business models, while also incorporating social sustainability aspects
• Engaging key stakeholders (e.g., medical professionals, medical device designers, and manufacturers) to refine the focus of the project through interviews and co-design sessions
• Developing case studies of redesigns of small to medium sized medical devices of which the market is currently shifting from reusable to single-use solutions

Through a collaborative, research-driven approach, D4SMD aims to contribute to a more sustainable future for medical device design; one that balances environmental responsibility, regulatory compliance, and industry feasibility.