The redesign of CPAP supplies for the Circular Economy

Abstract

The business wide objective of Philips regarding the transition to the circular economy is among others, that 15% of the total revenue should be from circular revenue from products and services by 2020.Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome use a CPAP machine at home to keep their airways open during sleep. The Sleep & Respiratory Care business of Philips creates these products and needs to reach the same general sustainability targets related to circular revenue. The masks and headgear are medical consumables and are replaced on a regularly basis according to the insurance’s reimbursement cycle. The products are not always broken when they are replaced and the current headgear design can not be recycled. Next to this, the products are provided to the patient through multiple stakeholders whereby Philips has low control over the material flow. Therefore, in this project the products are redesigned to become ‘circular ready’ and a roadmap for the implementation of new circular propositions have been created. A Life Cycle Assessment tool is created to assess the life cycle of the current product system and compare this to new designs and scenarios in an iterative way. The propositions are based on the three different circular strategies: Slowing resource loops, Closing resource loops and material efficiency. The new design has been optimized for a longer lifetime and easier cleaning ritual, as a first short term circular strategy. The new headgear will be made with a knitting production technique and two arms that slide in this piece. This design is based on the just released headgear with arms design of Philips. This ensures comfort and more stability for the user. It is recyclable and is material efficiently produced. The business model is redesigned in combination with a new procurement scenario that can be included in the already existing DreamMapper app. This is done to link the replacement to the performance of the products and stimulate a longer product life. Furthermore, a recycling and future reverse logistic scenario has been created. The silicone of the mask can be taken back and sold for recycling. The user can sent the products through the normal mail with the help of information from the app. The headgear can be recycled through the municipal textile recycling stream that should be widely implemented in Europe by 2025. All the proposition parts are designed with the eye on the future and technology trends. The future in CPAP supplies are custom made products, supported by digital production techniques and the 3d face scan software. This can enable super local production. From the final life cycle assessment of the different proposition parts can be concluded that these lower the kg CO2 emissions. The project results are expected to be highly feasible as already existing resources and infrastructures are used for the new proposition. The holistic design approach and solution, including the clear steps and advantages for the 4 key ingredients have inspired the business. The next steps are already taken.