Single-use, a Net Zero hero?
When medtech companies need to evidence that sustainability and innovation can go hand-in-hand — they come to Pd-m.
IQ Endoscopes approached Pd-m with a challenge few consultancies were equipped to solve: validate the environmental and clinical impact of single-use endoscopes compared to reusable ones. This wasn’t a typical carbon footprinting exercise. It demanded deep understanding of medical device innovation, lifecycle analysis, and the complex realities of clinical care pathways.
Pd-m was selected because of our unique leadership in sustainable innovation for healthcare — and the results proved why.
A three-phase programme to turn ambition into evidence
The “Endoscope Carbon Impact” project was structured around three integrated work packages, tailored to IQ Endoscopes’ goal of demonstrating that early intervention with single-use scopes could deliver measurable environmental and clinical benefits — while building a compelling case for procurement decision-makers.
Phase 1: Understanding the product footprint
We began by working closely with IQ Endoscopes to quantify the full cradle-to-grave carbon footprint of their G200 endoscope. Using primary data on materials, manufacturing processes, and logistics, we calculated emissions at a component level and delivered a full Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) report following the ISO 14067 structure.
Product impact by lifecycle stage – a very useful high-level view to guide where focus needs to be made to reduce product impact.
The PCF report included targeted redesign opportunities and circular economy recommendations — laying a strong foundation for long-term emissions reductions through sustainable product design. Typically products account for >70% of total company emissions and so lowering the product carbon footprint is essential for a business to achieve net zero targets.
Phase 2: Aligning with clinical reality
In the second stage, we connected carbon performance to real-world clinical impact. Integrating health economics data from project partners, we mapped three representative care pathways, comparing emissions of reusable and single-use scopes.
UC1 – Off-unit use, same-day scope of inpatients for faster discharge
UC2 – Rectal Bleed Clinic – condensing a 6+ month pathway to a 1-day.
UC3 – In theatre – improving clinical outcomes in bowl resection
In high-throughput settings reprocessing reusable scopes causes delays patient care, our analysis revealed that single-use scopes could reduce emissions by up to 58% — demonstrating how sustainability can improve both care delivery and environmental outcomes.
Carbon Care Pathway for use case 1 - Off-Unit / Bedside Intervention
Carbon reductions in the care of single-use vs reusable in 3 use cases.
Phase 3: Validating impact across the NHS
To support adoption at scale, we developed and executed a stakeholder engagement strategy involving structured interviews and surveys across NHS trusts. The findings revealed both validation and valuable variation — with some trusts already adopting single-use solutions, while others expressed growing interest based on sustainability credentials.
Supporting the value proposition with NHS Trust Engagement - identifying barriers to adoption.
Our analysis provided IQ Endoscopes with real-world evidence to strengthen their go-to-market strategy and fine-tune messaging by trust type and clinical setting.
Delivering insight, impact, and more than expected
The collaboration delivered far more than a carbon footprint. Pd-m provided IQ Endoscopes with strategic insight, clinical pathway evidence, and product-level recommendations — all wrapped in clear, decision-ready reporting. As IQ Endoscopes' team put it:
“We were introduced to the team at PD-m late on in our process to support our sustainability project for introducing SUE into the UK Healthcare system. All other potential partners struggled with our bespoke request with the aim of considering the environmental impact our product would have across various clinical settings.
Most other companies are focused on the standard scope 1,2,3 analysis or ESG reporting whilst PD-m bring a completely fresh approach and innovative thinking to tackling our specific challenges.
Their expertise and skill set across the entire team delivered a seamless project within our timescales. Their communication was clear and timely, they delivered 3 excellent reports and we hugely enjoyed working with their team throughout the whole project. Furthermore, their network and passion for sustainability leadership has created a huge value-add on top of the project from joint grant applications, collaborative speaking at events and even pipeline creation.
They represented excellent value for money before all that so we can’t thank them enough for their contribution and look forward to working with them in the future as we develop our sustainability mission.””