MedTech Recycling: Johnson & Johnson’s Waste-to-Value Model

Irresistible Circular Business

How can take-back programs move beyond compliance to become a primary sales driver and scaling mechanism?

In this episode, Daniel Unger, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Johnson & Johnson MedTech Germany, and Michael Leitl, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation, discuss how J&J’s collection system solves a core operational problem for its customers: the waste management costs for hospitals.

The conversation explores how their take-back program functions as a crucial sales and commercial lever.

What you’ll hear in this episode: • The function of the take-back program as a Unique Selling Proposition that secures sales and influences procurement. • The major regulatory barriers that block cross-border logistics and the strategic decisions that facilitate rapid market scaling and partner adoption. • The long-term business case and vision for industry-wide collaboration 

This episode covers the practical trade-offs and operational shifts required to build a financially and environmentally viable take-back business model, despite regulatory and cost constraints.

This is the second episode in the series Irresistible Circular Business, sponsored by Indeed Innovation, the global design and innovation firm pioneering the Circular Economy. The series showcases business practices that deliver irresistible commercial and circular results, with examples from different industries across different R-strategies.

People Daniel Unger, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Johnson & Johnson MedTech https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-unger-89220181/

Michael Leitl, Executive Director at Indeed Innovation https://www.linkedin.com/in/mleitl/

Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/

Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:40 The J&J Collection and Take Back System 00:07:35 Hospital Motivation: Data, Costs, and Waste Reduction 00:10:59 J&J Commercial Motivation and USP 00:12:43 Scaling and Regulatory Barriers 00:19:31 Vision 2030: A Star Alliance 00:25:52 Learning from Other Industries: Value Preservation 00:32:10 Outro

About Johnson & Johnson MedTech is the medical devices and technologies business of Johnson & Johnson, working across areas such as surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular care, and vision to help improve outcomes for patients and healthcare systems worldwide. It develops medtech solutions that combine biological and engineering expertise to make care more precise, less invasive, and better connected for clinicians and patients.

On circularity and sustainability, Johnson & Johnson MedTech operates take-back and recycling programs for single-use devices and components that recover metals and plastics from items such as instruments, loaders, and other hardware so those materials can be reused in non-medical applications rather than going to landfill or incineration. These programs are active in multiple regions including Europe, the UK, the US, and markets such as New Zealand and Switzerland.

Further Links 2026 MedTech Circularity Index: Benchmarking global industry leaders: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/circularity-index-medtech-2026/

Refurbishment Guide: Scaling operations and circular revenue: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/refurbishment-the-ingredient-for-future-growth/

Circular Feasibility Study: Strategies to eliminate clinical waste: https://www.indeed-innovation.com/the-white-dot-2024-medtech-circular-economy-feasibility-study/

”The White Dot” Initiative, Practical hospital circularity via ZUKE Green, INDEED, and CIRCULARMED: https://zuke-green.de/initiative-weisser-punkt/

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