Sustainable product design is increasingly expected aspect in product development. Stricter environmental regulations, consumer demand for eco-friendly products, and investor support for sustainably operating companies are driving this change. In healthcare sector, requirements like carbon footprint calculations are already part of tender processes for products and services. Changing existing products to be sustainable is challenging, however; the greatest impact on sustainability is made during the product definition and conceptualization phases, where key decisions shape the product's environmental footprint. In this blog, Antti Virtanen, Solution Architect at Innokas, discusses the challenges of implementing sustainability in this phase and offers solutions.
"Defining sustainability for complex products, such as medical devices, is a challenging question with many answers," Antti begins. However, the end goal tends to be the same as for products in general: minimize virgin material use, extend product life cycles, maximize usage, respect human rights in manufacturing and maintenance, reduce emissions over the whole product life cycle, and ensure materials don't end up in landfills. The product must also be safe and cost-effective throughout its life cycle. "Achieving this requires innovative thinking, from invoicing models to material choices, and places demands on functionality, serviceability, and sustainable design," Antti establishes.
Typical challenges in developing sustainable products include changing the ingrained ways of thinking and creating new business practices. While people in general have the will to do good, practical knowledge and prioritizing sustainable actions still throw hurdles in the way. It often involves additional costs and effort early on, without a crystal-clear picture of the long-term benefits.
In complex devices, objectively assessing the whole picture tends to be challenging. Solutions that save environmental resources in one phase can cause harm in another. For example, replacing disposable parts with reusable ones might increase harm due to the use of washing water and chemicals. Therefore, solutions must be evaluated from multiple angles to find a truly sustainable overall approach to its foundation.
The priority of whether to design the product according to sustainability principles depends on the project's application, operating environment, market, product owner's intentions, and, of course, financial situation. "However, there are a few common reasons we recommend sustainability be integrated into product design; stricter regulations, early adoption of sustainability for competitive advantage, customer demands, and long-term profitability all guide the developer towards sustainability. This approach also prepares us for future changes, like tightening end-user requirements," Antti explains.
Considering sustainable development leads to cost savings in the long run, even if the initial cost is there. The "More with less" principle leads directly to the elimination of unnecessary features in products. In the long term, falling behind the development bandwagon will also become even more expensive than opting out of investing in sustainable development. Transitioning to more sustainable products is mandatory and must be profitable like any other business.
The first step is to put sustainable development onto the agenda and prioritize it like it was any other business objective. It's important to turn the rhetoric into concrete product requirements and seek sustainable technical solutions to those requirements. Key tools and approaches for taking sustainability into account already during the conceptualization include understanding circular economy principles and aligning them with product requirements, usage, and revenue logic. In addition, impact calculation models and tools help to gain a concrete understanding of the emissions of different alternatives.
"Revolutionizing operations in new ways takes time, and learning through trial and error brings costs, but isn’t that what all innovation is? Get started today. In the beginning, the steps may be small, but as understanding and competence grow, they’ll grow inevitably," Antti encourages with a smile.
Innokas strives to develop circular economy products and technical solutions in cooperation with customers in software development, electromechanical devices, and manufacturing. Innokas' playbook for device design that utilizes the circular economy was recently completed, and it’s being used to integrate circular economy principles into practical product development. If you have any questions, we are happy to answer them!
Interviewee
Antti Virtanen
Solution Architect
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