MedTech Recycling: Johnson & Johnson’s Waste-to-Value Model
From Circularity.fm by Patrick Hypscher
March 3, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 88
About this episode
The episode discusses Johnson & Johnson's take-back program as a sales driver and its impact on waste management in hospitals.
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…
People in this episode
Host: Patrick Hypscher
Guests: Daniel Unger, Michael Leitl
Topics covered
- MedTech
- recycling
- take-back programs
- waste management
- sustainability
- circular economy
Keywords
- take-back program
- waste management
- sustainability
- circular economy
- Johnson & Johnson
- MedTech
- regulatory barriers
Sponsors
Indeed Innovation
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Johnson & Johnson
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