Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DICE (DIgital health in Circular Economy)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-10-01 do 2024-03-31
The use of digital health devices is expected to grow nearly 20% annually by 2027. Devices such as smart pill boxes and wearable sensors are increasingly being used to improve healthcare efficiency and conditions for patients, but these devices present an expanding e-waste challenge.
DiCE aims to address this issue by developing guidance for circular design of digital health devices, establishing appropriate reverse logistics systems suited for devices both subject to and not-subject-to EU-MDR. DiCE will also involve value chain stakeholders, including end-users and healthcare providers, to craft motivational strategies to increase device return rates and to identify ideal locations for collecting used devices. Novel circular business models tailored to digital health devices will also be developed and policy recommendations will be formulated.
DiCE aims to address this issue by developing guidance for circular design of digital health devices, establishing appropriate reverse logistics systems suited for devices both subject to and not-subject-to EU-MDR. DiCE will also involve value chain stakeholders, including end-users and healthcare providers, to craft motivational strategies to increase device return rates and to identify ideal locations for collecting used devices. Novel circular business models tailored to digital health devices will also be developed and policy recommendations will be formulated.
Circular Design
DiCE developed circular recovery flows for digital health devices and identified best practices (D2.1) leading to 31 potential circular design guidelines tailored to digital health devices. Tackling Digital Display Labels (DDL, also known as e-Paper labels) first, DiCE collaborated with packaging and labelling suppliers, to design DDLs that would enable refurbishment. In this regard, three promising prototypes were developed to be further refined (D2.2).
Technology and processes for waste management, reverse logistics, refurbishment and recycling
DiCE analysed healthcare sector-based specificities and identified relevant stakeholders to develop a feasible reverse logistics plan.
A smart collection box prototype was designed, built, and tested. A patent application was filed shortly before the start of the project enabling further innovation, and design protection was granted for Norway and Japan.
Recycling tests conducted on the endocutter, smart pill box and DDL lead to recommendations for improving the devices’ design as well as the recycling process technologies (D3.1).
Citizen engagement and influencing consumer behaviour
Sustain-a-thons and subsequent design sprints were organized in Belgium, Spain and Slovenia, engaging local stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, authorities and citizens. These sessions aimed to understand preferences, motivations and habits of citizens related to collection, recycling and re-use of digital health device. Five nudging prototypes were designed based on the outcomes of the design sprints.
During iterative co-creation sessions with citizens in these three regions (D4.1) the prototypes for nudging strategies were assessed, and preferred collection methods and locations were discussed, as well as a smart collection box. During interviews, with local stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, authorities and others, feedback was gathered concerning their motivations and preferences for collection methods and locations and a smart collection box.
Performance assessment, monitoring and demonstration of the transition
DiCE mapped the value chain models and benchmarks for a DDL, a smart pill box and an endocutter. The healthcare pathway approach was chosen for the sustainability assessments. Fast-track life-cycle assessments were conducted to calculate the carbon footprint of the DDL and endocutter.
DiCE also focused on the identification of circularity indicators and methodologies relevant to social life cycle assessments for certain value chain actors.
Exploitation: business models and policies
DiCE explored how business models for digital health devices can be adapted for a circular economy and analysed the roles and responsibilities that each stakeholder can undertake. The study included a literature review and 47 interviews with manufacturers, external organizations, regulators and customers (D6.1). A taxonomy of four innovative circular business models was developed.
DiCE developed circular recovery flows for digital health devices and identified best practices (D2.1) leading to 31 potential circular design guidelines tailored to digital health devices. Tackling Digital Display Labels (DDL, also known as e-Paper labels) first, DiCE collaborated with packaging and labelling suppliers, to design DDLs that would enable refurbishment. In this regard, three promising prototypes were developed to be further refined (D2.2).
Technology and processes for waste management, reverse logistics, refurbishment and recycling
DiCE analysed healthcare sector-based specificities and identified relevant stakeholders to develop a feasible reverse logistics plan.
A smart collection box prototype was designed, built, and tested. A patent application was filed shortly before the start of the project enabling further innovation, and design protection was granted for Norway and Japan.
Recycling tests conducted on the endocutter, smart pill box and DDL lead to recommendations for improving the devices’ design as well as the recycling process technologies (D3.1).
Citizen engagement and influencing consumer behaviour
Sustain-a-thons and subsequent design sprints were organized in Belgium, Spain and Slovenia, engaging local stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, authorities and citizens. These sessions aimed to understand preferences, motivations and habits of citizens related to collection, recycling and re-use of digital health device. Five nudging prototypes were designed based on the outcomes of the design sprints.
During iterative co-creation sessions with citizens in these three regions (D4.1) the prototypes for nudging strategies were assessed, and preferred collection methods and locations were discussed, as well as a smart collection box. During interviews, with local stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, authorities and others, feedback was gathered concerning their motivations and preferences for collection methods and locations and a smart collection box.
Performance assessment, monitoring and demonstration of the transition
DiCE mapped the value chain models and benchmarks for a DDL, a smart pill box and an endocutter. The healthcare pathway approach was chosen for the sustainability assessments. Fast-track life-cycle assessments were conducted to calculate the carbon footprint of the DDL and endocutter.
DiCE also focused on the identification of circularity indicators and methodologies relevant to social life cycle assessments for certain value chain actors.
Exploitation: business models and policies
DiCE explored how business models for digital health devices can be adapted for a circular economy and analysed the roles and responsibilities that each stakeholder can undertake. The study included a literature review and 47 interviews with manufacturers, external organizations, regulators and customers (D6.1). A taxonomy of four innovative circular business models was developed.
Circular design
The circular design guidelines will lead to the first rigorous and empirically verified design guides for circular digital health devices. Further refinement will be conducted to determine the final design criteria. A policy brief will be generated as input to this.
Technology and processes for waste management, reverse logistics, refurbishment and recycling
Collection and reverse logistics processes are being developed for both professional and domestic settings. The reverse logistics flows are being defined, linking the expertise of the DiCE partners on collection of WEEE to the outcome of the involvement of citizens and other actors in the value chain in order to determine optimal locations and routes for the take-back of digital health devices. The smart collection box was developed and will be tested in practice in large-scale pilots. Further commercialisation steps will be needed after the pilots.
The refurbishment process for the DDL is being set up. To ensure uptake, close stakeholder engagement with hospitals is required to verify if changes in their standard operating procedures need to be accounted for.
During the initial process of developing for remanufacturing, which was based on expertise with large hospital equipment, it became clear that for small digital health devices a novel circular ecosystem thinking is required. For scale up to succeed, it is essential to make the circular recovery flows as short as possible, possibly even abandoning the remanufacturing of small digital health devices and opting for reprocessing instead.
Citizen engagement and influencing consumer behaviour
A set of motivational nudging strategies have been designed and will be tested initially qualitatively in small scale pilots and then demonstrated in large scale pilots. The guideline for nudging strategies will be shared with manufacturers of digital health devices to ensure uptake.
Performance assessment, monitoring and demonstration of the transition
Standardisation of the performance assessment will be an element that will help to drive uptake.
Exploitation: business models and policies
For all results to lead to the resulting expected impact, a supportive regulatory and standardisation framework, including terminology, will be required. A policy brief, resulting from the DiCE project, will highlight the biggest barriers
The circular design guidelines will lead to the first rigorous and empirically verified design guides for circular digital health devices. Further refinement will be conducted to determine the final design criteria. A policy brief will be generated as input to this.
Technology and processes for waste management, reverse logistics, refurbishment and recycling
Collection and reverse logistics processes are being developed for both professional and domestic settings. The reverse logistics flows are being defined, linking the expertise of the DiCE partners on collection of WEEE to the outcome of the involvement of citizens and other actors in the value chain in order to determine optimal locations and routes for the take-back of digital health devices. The smart collection box was developed and will be tested in practice in large-scale pilots. Further commercialisation steps will be needed after the pilots.
The refurbishment process for the DDL is being set up. To ensure uptake, close stakeholder engagement with hospitals is required to verify if changes in their standard operating procedures need to be accounted for.
During the initial process of developing for remanufacturing, which was based on expertise with large hospital equipment, it became clear that for small digital health devices a novel circular ecosystem thinking is required. For scale up to succeed, it is essential to make the circular recovery flows as short as possible, possibly even abandoning the remanufacturing of small digital health devices and opting for reprocessing instead.
Citizen engagement and influencing consumer behaviour
A set of motivational nudging strategies have been designed and will be tested initially qualitatively in small scale pilots and then demonstrated in large scale pilots. The guideline for nudging strategies will be shared with manufacturers of digital health devices to ensure uptake.
Performance assessment, monitoring and demonstration of the transition
Standardisation of the performance assessment will be an element that will help to drive uptake.
Exploitation: business models and policies
For all results to lead to the resulting expected impact, a supportive regulatory and standardisation framework, including terminology, will be required. A policy brief, resulting from the DiCE project, will highlight the biggest barriers