Bart Van Straten

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.