BRUSSELS – Growing volumes of electronic healthcare devices containing batteries, electronics and valuable materials such as copper, gold, lithium and rare earth elements are routinely incinerated at the end of their lives, even though they may contain functional components and recyclable materials that could be recovered and reused. A four-year international initiative has produced what researchers describe as the first practical blueprint for transforming digital healthcare into a circular system that keeps products, components and valuable materials longer in use. The final report of the Digital Health in the Circular Economy (DiCE) project concludes that manufacturers, healthcare providers, policymakers, recyclers and patients all have essential roles to play in reducing healthcare e-waste while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety. The project was funded through the European Union's Horizon Europe programme. Says Pascal Leroy, Director General of the Brussels-based WEEE Forum: "Digital health technologies are transforming healthcare. Millions of devices, from diabetes sensors and blood pressure monitors to advanced surgical instruments, are helping patients live longer, healthier lives while making care more personalised, efficient and effective. But the rapid growth of this market is creating a largely overlooked problem: a fast-growing stream of electronic waste. DiCE has shown how to mitigate that problem and recover increasingly precious and strategically critical raw materials." The project examined every stage of the lifecycle of several digital healthcare products, from product design and manufacturing through collection, refurbishment, reuse, and recycling. Researchers also tested circular business models, consumer behaviour, reverse logistics systems, and new policy approaches across Europe. Medical e-waste: an emerging global challenge Unlike consumer electronics, many medical devices are classified as healthcare waste after use because of contamination concerns. As a result, products containing valuable electronics, batteries, copper, gold, lithium and other critical materials are frequently incinerated even when components may remain reusable or recyclable. Although no comprehensive global estimate of medical e-waste volume yet exists, available evidence suggests the problem is growing. Research shows, for example, that some 83 million wearable medical devices were placed on the European market in 2020 alone and globally could approach 2 billion devices annually by 2050 if current trends continue. According to the UN, e-waste of all kinds annually exceeds 62 million tonnes worldwide every year and is projected to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030. Five priorities for building a circular healthcare system The report recommends redesigning the healthcare ecosystem. Among its principal recommendations:
The report concludes that extending product lifetimes delivers substantially greater environmental benefits than concentrating on end-of-life recycling. Everything starts with design According to the European Commission, 80% of the product's environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Four design case studies, developed in DiCE with clinicians, engineers and users, feed into a five-step Circular Design Guide. The document integrates circular thinking into existing digital health development processes; it doesn't replace them or ask teams to start from the beginning. Cleanability, disassembly, component lifetimes, clinical workflows and traceability all were found to be essential across these case studies. "The healthcare sector increasingly depends on digital technologies, yet many devices are designed to be used and discarded. The challenge this project faced was to preserve clinical performance and patient safety while extending product life, recovering valuable materials and reducing environmental impacts. Delivered by the DiCE project is the first integrated blueprint for circular designing of medical devices," says Tamara Hoveling from TU Delft, the lead author of the Circular Design Guide. Life-cycle studies identify where the greatest environmental gains can be achieved One of the project's most important contributions: a series of detailed Life Cycle Assessments examining the environmental impacts of representative digital healthcare products. Researchers found that electronic components such as printed circuit boards, batteries and displays dominate the environmental footprint of individual products. But the studies also revealed something unexpected: redesigning healthcare systems often produces greater environmental gains than redesigning the devices themselves. |
Among the findings:
Together, the studies demonstrate that improving healthcare sustainability requires changes across clinical workflows, logistics, product design and recovery systems rather than focusing only on materials inside individual devices. DiCE also produced a Circularity Dashboard, a policy-support tool that turns complex system data into accessible insight. It helps policymakers compare circularity, cost and environmental performance across 'what-if' scenarios: circulardigitalhealth.eu/circularity-dashboard/ Pilots demonstrate practical solutions The project moved beyond research by testing circular solutions in real-world settings. Consumer pilots involving 414 participants in Belgium, Spain and Slovenia found that more than 60% of participants were willing to return unwanted healthcare devices when convenient collection systems were available. The project also evaluated practical reverse logistics solutions, including dedicated GRIN collection boxes (smart automated return-collection machines) alongside pharmacy-based and postal return systems, demonstrating that convenient collection infrastructure is essential for recovering valuable products and materials. A practical roadmap for industry The report concludes that healthcare can reduce electronic waste without compromising clinical performance or patient safety. Future systems should be designed to keep products and materials in circulation for as long as possible through better design, repair, refurbishment, reuse and, ultimately, high-quality recycling. Says Caroline Allard, Senior Sustainability Manager at Philips: "Digital technologies are redefining healthcare through connected devices, AI, and data-driven care. Yet this transformation also increases demand for materials, energy, and resources. Our challenge as manufacturers is to decouple better health outcomes from greater environmental impact—by designing products, services, and business models that keep materials in use for longer and minimise waste." Top 5 findings from the research: 1. Healthcare devices contain valuable materials that are being thrown away Blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, hearing aids, smart watches and other health devices contain copper, gold, lithium and rare earth elements. Many today are incinerated at their end of life, wasting valuable resources. 2. Reuse can dramatically reduce environmental impacts Reusable ECG lead sets, for example, reduced environmental impacts by 81-94% compared with disposable alternatives. 3. The biggest environmental savings may come from smarter system design Digital technologies can sometimes reduce overall environmental impacts when they improve healthcare efficiency, shorten hospital stays or reduce waste elsewhere in the system. 4. Most people have no idea what to do with used medical devices Many patients want to dispose of devices responsibly but do not know where to return them or whether they can be reused. Better collection systems make doing the right thing much easier. 5. This is one of the few environmental problems with a practical solution Unlike many environmental challenges, the tools already exist: better design, repair, refurbishment, collection systems, recycling and clearer rules. The report concludes that a more circular healthcare system is achievable if manufacturers, healthcare providers, governments and patients work together To support implementation, the project has also produced practical training materials (available at https://circulardigitalhealth.eu/files ) to help manufacturers, healthcare providers and policymakers adopt circular approaches. DiCE project by the numbers
* * * * * About DiCE Launched in October 2022 and running until September 2026, the Digital Health in a Circular Economy (DiCE) project addresses the growing challenge of digital health device waste by targeting every stage of the product life cycle from design to disposal. Involving 20 organisations across nine countries , this EU-funded project responds to the rapid growth in digital health devices, expected to reach nearly 20% annually by 2027 , and the concerning reality that only 54% of e-waste is properly collected in Europe. DiCE aims to extend product lifetimes through eco-design, refurbishment, remanufacturing, and advanced recycling technologies, shifting from a linear "take-make-waste" model to a circular one that maximises the recovery of products, components, and valuable raw materials. DiCE also aspires to base its decisions and strategies on real-life experiences and examples to ensure that its results and findings will have a long-lasting impact. To do so, DiCE led community-engaged pilots in healthcare systems across Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain and employed various motivational strategies to promote behavioural change. |
