It seems the wearable healthcare technology is going to see a rise in its usage. This expanding usage is seen in devices like blood pressure monitors and ultrasound patches. There is a possibility of an increase by 42-fold globally by 2050. As per the analysis, this figure is nearing 2B units yearly and is emitting carbon dioxide equivalent to 3.4 metric tonnes.
As per the analysis published in the journal Nature, it is projected that China could generate the maximum of the yearly greenhouse gas emissions from wearable healthcare devices in 2050.
Health Tech Carbon Footprint
The estimated health tech carbon footprint is alongside ecotoxicity and e-waste problems with the manufacturing and usage of wearables. About 1kg of CO2 equals a unit measuring the climate impact of greenhouse gases released by comparing their potential for warming to that of CO2.
As per researchers, it is estimated that a wearable healthcare device could possibly release about 6kg of CO2 equivalent during its entire lifetime. They also displayed how the use of recyclable or biodegradable plastics offer very minimal benefits, whereas substituting critical-metal conductors and optimising circuit architectures can reduce impacts drastically without change in its performance.
Wearable Health Tech Study
The way in which the team is assessing a device’s footprint during its lifecycle “holds promise for establishing (an) ecologically responsible innovation in next-generation wearable electronics.”
Four devices were used for ‘life cycle assessment’ for the study conducted by the researchers. These four electronics in digital healthcare were a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor, a continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, a blood pressure monitor (BPM) and a point-of-care ultrasound patch.
All the devices were chosen based on diversity of sensing modalities, clinical relevance, and coverage across the technology readiness spectrum.
As per the author, “(A) cradle-to-grave analysis of representative wearable healthcare electronics (glucose, cardiac and blood pressure monitors and diagnostic imagers) generates full-spectrum environmental impact metrics, identifying warming impacts of 1.1-6.1 (kilograms carbon dioxide)-equivalent per device”.
They added, “The global device consumption is projected to increase 42-fold by 2050, approaching two billion units annually and generating 3.4 (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide) – equivalent emissions alongside ecotoxicity and e-waste issues“.
According to the researchers, by 2025, the non-invasive continuous glucose monitors could easily cross the current global smartphone sales that in 2024 was estimated at 1.2B units. They expect the market share in the beginning shall be dominated by continuous ECG and blood pressure monitors, but they expect that by 2050, continuous glucose monitors will hold around 72 %, followed by continuous ECG at 19% and blood pressure monitors at 8%.
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