Designing for Longer Life: Pd-m’s Role in Sustainable MedTech
Pd-m is rethinking how medical devices are designed, shifting the focus from linear models of production to circular systems that prioritise reuse, remanufacture, and longer lifespans. With a vision to create products with purpose, the Thirsk-based consultancy partners with organisations across MedTech and beyond to transform ideas into commercially viable products.
At the heart of Pd-m’s approach is a simple principle: design determines impact. Decisions made at the earliest stages of product development shape not only usability and safety, but also the environmental footprint across the lifecycle. By embedding sustainability at this point, Pd-m helps clients reduce waste, cut carbon, and build products that last.
Designing with Purpose
Every project at Pd-m begins with insight—immersive research into how devices are used and how they can improve lives. This ethos is reflected in a diverse portfolio, from instruments supporting gasless laparoscopic surgery, to redesigned forceps for safer deliveries, to devices enabling dental bone regeneration.
While safety is a constant priority in medical device design, sustainability is increasingly central. Pd-m evaluates material choices, manufacturing methods, and end-of-life pathways to ensure products avoid unnecessary incineration or landfill. Though stringent regulations currently limit recycled materials in MedTech, the sector is moving towards change, with lower-risk devices likely to lead the way.
Driving Systemic Change
Pd-m is actively contributing to national conversations on sustainability through initiatives like the Design for Life workshops, convened by the Department of Health and Social Care. Clinical waste makes up around 40% of the NHS total—over 150,000 tonnes each year—most of which goes to costly and environmentally damaging incineration. Collaborative action between manufacturers, designers, and the NHS is essential to reducing this impact.
The NHS has set an ambitious target to achieve net zero by 2040, with all suppliers required to follow by 2045. Carbon accounting projects show that as much as 80% of emissions stem from manufacturing. Pd-m believes that embedding circularity and lifecycle thinking into product design is vital to reaching these goals.
Looking Ahead
By designing for longer life and exploring localised supply chains, the consultancy demonstrates that greener choices can lower costs and even improve margins. As industries shift from economies of scale to environmental sustainability, Pd-m is committed to helping businesses embrace circularity and prepare for a net zero future.