Circular Economy Strategies for Healthcare

Bart van Straten is a distinguished expert in sustainable healthcare and circular economy, serving as a researcher and lecturer at TU Delft while leading multiple initiatives in medical device sustainability. After earning his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from TU Delft and an MBA from EU Business School, he has dedicated his career to transforming healthcare waste management and circular design. As co-founder of GreenCycl and a key figure at Van Straten Medical, a family company he helped transform into a circular production facility alongside his brother Niels, he has pioneered innovative approaches to medical waste reduction and reprocessing. His groundbreaking work includes developing the world's first recycling process for hospital waste, earning recognition in the Utrecht Circular Innovation Top 20. As chairman of the NEN Platform 'Sustainability and Medical Devices,' he co-authored the national NEN-guideline for reusing single-use medical devices during crises. Following his University Teaching Qualification in 2021, he has focused on integrating sustainability engineering and circular design into education at TU Delft, developing online courses for self-paced learning about circular economy. His research has led to significant publications on surgical waste reprocessing and life cycle assessment of medical devices, while his leadership extends to roles including membership on the supervisory board of the Leiden Instrument Makers School and various educational and government-related institutions. His work in the Field Lab, co-developed with Tim Horeman, has demonstrated innovative methods for reprocessing surgical waste into new medical products, embodying his personal and professional mission to minimize waste based on the principle that we borrow the world from our children rather than inheriting it from our parents.

Tim Horeman serves as Associate Professor in Sustainable Surgery & Translational Technology and Academic Portfolio Director of Medical Technology at TU Delft. His groundbreaking work focuses on developing sustainable surgical instruments and circular healthcare solutions. After earning his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from TU Delft, he has become a distinguished serial medtech entrepreneur, founding multiple successful companies including GreenCycl, MediShield, ForceSense, Surge-on Medical, and SuperSeton. His research has revolutionized surgical waste management, developing methods to transform medical waste into new instruments, including a breakthrough process for converting blue wrapping paper from operating rooms into new medical devices. His achievements earned him the Dutch Royal Engineer of the Year award in 2016 and the Prins Johan Friso Engineering award for contributions to medical technology and patient safety. As principal investigator on numerous international research projects, he has authored over 80 journal publications and holds 18 patent families in surgical innovation. His work with the Field Lab GreenCycl, developed in collaboration with Bart van Straten, has established the world's first recycling process for hospital waste. Currently, he leads the development of sustainable surgical instruments for advanced robot surgery, focusing on making lifesaving surgical innovations accessible in less wealthy regions.