The Bio-Based Pipette at comparable costs to conventional Plastic | Bastien Manuel, Commercial Director at elm-plastic

Bastien Manuel recognized that sustainability was inevitable for most medical plastic manufacturers. At elmplastic, he proactively established his business with that future in mind.

He's Commercial Director at elm-plastic GmbH, a Germany-based, family-owned converter of plastic and manufacturer of pharmaceutical plastic devices. In 2025, they launched what they believe is the only commercially available bio-based plastic oral dosing device on the market: a sustainable pharmaceutical pipette made exclusively made from bio-sourced materials. In this episode, he discusses their approach, how they achieved it, and why the cost argument against sustainable medical plastics is less compelling than most procurement teams believe.

Here's what we get into:

• How eco-design can offset the higher price of bio-based raw materials
• Why volume, scale, and long-term contracts change the equation entirely
• How a family-owned business moves faster on sustainability than PE-backed competitors
• Why early adopters of sustainable medical plastics are gaining a strategic market advantage now
• An overview of the current regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical companies and what developments are expected next

If you want to make your medical devices more sustainable, let's talk: https://calendly.com/lucas-pianegonda-gradical/discovery-call-gradical

🔗 CONNECT WITH BASTIEN MANUEL:

Website: https://elmplastic.com/de/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bastianmanuel/

🔗 CONNECT WITH US: 

🎧 Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gradical-podcast-the-podcast-about-plastics-in/id1773569554 

🟢 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/4vNQ6rPE2CQUGgQtEY3sYq 

📺 YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@GradicalGmbH 

🌍 Gradical: https://gradical.ch/ 

📩 Work with us: [email protected]

#MedtechSustainabilityByDesignPodcast #GradicalPodcast #MedTech #MedicalDevices #Bioplastics #SustainableMedTech #Pharma

Do you enjoy this podcast? Then subscribe, rate it on your platform, and join the discussion on LinkedIn! Your feedback and comments help us improve the podcast and bring you relevant topics. Let’s form a better world with plastics!

If you are a Medtech company struggling to make your devices more sustainable, let’s talk—BOOK A CALL HERE.You can also check our Youtube Channel with lots of free trainings and resources here: Lucas R. Pianegonda - YouTubeWebsite: www.gradical.ch