In an increasingly complex global healthcare landscape, cross-sector collaboration has become essential to solving the systemic challenges we face in the medical device industry. The future of healthcare will be defined not just by the technologies we bring to market, but by the way we work together across sectors to deliver them.
Regulatory shifts, environmental pressures, and evolving patient expectations are pushing the industry to think more holistically. Collaboration between teams like commercial, regulatory, R&D, marketing, and business development is no longer optional but vital. Without that integrated perspective, we risk making decisions in silos that could undermine our long-term impact.
Sustainability is no longer a separate pillar—it must be embedded in everything we do. That includes the way we design, manufacture, distribute, and support the products that restore health to millions of people every year. But how do we ensure this doesn’t just remain a set of buzzwords, but actually leads to a tangible impact within the industry?
It’s about the full life cycle. We need to ask: How are products made? How are they used in practice? How much waste do they create? Are they scalable in markets where infrastructure may be limited? These are the questions we must address to make lasting progress.
Rethinking Innovation Through a Sustainability Lens
One of the biggest opportunities lies in rethinking product development and packaging with sustainability at the core. As example, early design stage considerations to remove the need for refrigeration for a device like the ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) dramatically simplifies the logistics chain, reduces emissions, and improves ease of use in the clinic. This kind of improvement—when built in from the beginning—can reduce environmental impact without sacrificing clinical performance.
Commercial teams also play a critical role in this transition. One of our responsibilities is to offer surgeons informed choices. When we present two options, for instance, we can highlight the clinical and sustainability profiles of each. Maybe one generates less packaging waste, or another enables faster turnover in the OR. It’s not about making the choice for the customer—it’s about providing the right data to empower them to align their practices with their values.
What’s encouraging is that many clinics and institutions are already on this journey. Larger organizations increasingly have public sustainability goals and are actively looking for suppliers and partners who can help them get there. Surgeons, too, are becoming more engaged in conversations around environmental stewardship. In the United States alone, more than 4 billion pounds of healthcare waste is generated annually—with 97% of healthcare professionals noting a willingness to improve sustainability within their practices (Annals of Surgery Open, 2024).
The Role of Purpose-Driven Leadership
This is where I believe purpose-driven commercial leadership makes a difference. A company’s values aren’t just internal slogans—they should guide how we show up in the market, how we engage with customers, and how we make decisions. When our commercial strategy is aligned with a deeper purpose—improving patient outcomes, increasing access, reducing waste—we attract the right partners, the right talent, and the right opportunities for long-term growth.
We’ve seen firsthand how products that improve the patient experience can also advance broader systemic goals. If a device reduces the need for daily drug intervention, it not only simplifies life for the patient but also lessens the strain on health systems and minimizes long-term resource use. That’s the kind of innovation we need more of, where clinical benefit, operational efficiency, and environmental stewardship intersect.
The global scale of cataract procedures alone—nearly 30 million annually—represents an enormous opportunity to drive meaningful change. From switching to digital Instructions for Use to minimizing secondary packaging, even small adjustments at scale can have a significant impact. But these changes require alignment across functions, disciplines, and geographies.
As I reflect on conversations with surgeons, one thing stands out: the appetite for change is real. The desire to align clinical excellence with environmental responsibility is growing—and our job as commercial leaders is to help bridge that gap with practical, scalable solutions.
Looking ahead, I believe there are three non-negotiables for ensuring sustainable progress in healthcare:
- Clinical Outcomes Come First. No matter how innovative or eco-friendly a product is, it must deliver trusted, effective results for patients.
- We Must Improve Clinical Efficiency. The demand for efficient healthcare attention is rising globally, but the supply of trained physicians and surgeons is not keeping pace. In fact, projections show that by 2035, the United States alone will face a 30% shortage in full-time equivalent ophthalmologists only—driven by a 12% decline in supply and a 24% increase in demand (AAO, 2023). Efficiency will be essential to meet growing needs without burnout or delays.
- We Have To Reduce Our Environmental Footprint. From waste management to packaging to energy use, our industry must evolve to become more responsible stewards of our planet.
The path forward isn’t about choosing between innovation and sustainability—it’s about integrating both. That integration starts with mindset, is reinforced by collaboration, and is delivered through action. The future of healthcare depends on our ability to build these bridges—between teams, between sectors, and between our values and our work.
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