RSNA News: Philips Transitions to the Circular Economy

At the 2019 RSNA, Philips is highlighting its efforts to transition to a ‘circular economy’ in healthcare, moving from today’s linear materials use approach of ‘take › make › dispose’ to a circular model of ‘make › use › return’. The company is on track to deliver on its 2018 pledge to take back and repurpose all the large medical systems equipment that its customers are prepared to return to it by 2020.
 
“For a sustainable world, the transition from a linear to a circular economy is essential,” said Robert Metzke, head of Sustainability at Philips. “By adopting innovative business models and maximizing the lifetime value of our products and solutions, we are opening up new opportunities for healthcare providers, including growth and cost savings, reducing resource risk, and facilitating smart asset management. At the same time, our circular propositions help to enable better healthcare while reducing the waste of precious resources, lowering our total environmental footprint.”
 
Philips is pursuing the trade-in of equipment such as MRI, CT, ultrasound and interventional and diagnostic X-ray systems, taking full control to ensure that all traded-in materials are repurposed or recycled. An important part of its efforts is the company’s Diamond Select refurbished systems program, which provides refurbished imaging systems that have the same Philips quality and performance as new equipment at lower cost.
 
Philips recently replaced an old digital radiography system at Reinier de Graaf Ziekenhuis in the Netherlands with the latest ceiling-mounted system, the DigitalDiagnost C90. Philips is also improving the sustainability of its supply chain through its Supplier Sustainability Performance approach. Philips is helping drive access to care by repurposing its used medical equipment, donating clinically viable systems for another lifecycle in underserved communities as part of its partnership with MedShare.
 
Philips’ breakthrough Ingenia Ambition 1.5T MR system features the industry’s first fully sealed magnet, which reduces the amount of liquid helium (a limited natural resource) needed to cool the magnet to less than half a percent of the current norm.
 
More information about Philips’ sustainability initiatives can be found here. Philips will demonstrate its integrated portfolio of imaging solutions at RSNA 2019 in booth #6730. For more information about Philips’ presence at RSNA, visit www.philips.com/RSNA, and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for #RSNA19 live updates.