Dr. Axel Boese has spent years studying how hospitals can innovate sustainably — and one of his biggest insights challenges the status quo of “single-use.”

In most hospitals, medical tools are used once and then thrown away. For something like a cheap plastic syringe, that makes sense. But with a €600 stapler or a €1,300 catheter, the practice becomes both unsustainable and financially wasteful.

That’s where hybrid-use comes in. Instead of discarding the entire device, hospitals can reuse the critical components while protecting them with inexpensive, disposable covers that maintain sterility. The result: less waste, lower cost, and a smarter path to sustainability.

In this episode, Dr. Boese joins Lucas to explore what’s driving hospitals toward single-use, how adopting hybrid-use could cut waste from high-value medical devices by up to 75%, and how the next generation of medtech professionals can balance patient safety, performance, and environmental impact.

Connect with Axel:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/axel-boese-a7b43a188?originalSubdomain=de

Axel’s company, MEDICS GmbH: https://medics-md.de/

Connect with us:

If you’re a medtech company struggling to make your devices more sustainable, let’s talk: https://lucaspianegonda.clickfunnels.com/optin1756907952105

🎧 Subscribe to the Gradical Podcast for insights on MedTech sustainability, materials, and innovation:

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📩 Work with Lucas and the team: [email protected]

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