Sustainable glucose meters: Circular economy insights from integrated life cycle assessment and material composition analysis

Continuous glucose meters (CGMs) are increasingly used for diabetes management but raise environmental concerns due to short product lifetimes and materials-intensive designs. This study evaluates the potential of applying circular economy (CE) strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of CGMs. Our approach uses an integrated environmental assessment which combines life cycle assessment (LCA) with product-scale material composition analysis (MCA), informed by material flow analysis (MFA) principles. Three commercially available CGMs were assessed and compared with a conventional finger-prick glucose meter as a baseline. Two CE scenarios were modelled: (i) a modular design, in which the applicator and transmitter were redesigned as reusable components with extended lifetimes while allowing single-use needle replacement, and (ii) material substitution, where polycarbonate components and packaging were replaced with lower-impact alternatives. Across all case studies, the CE scenarios reduced combined product and packaging material use by 54–84% and climate change impacts by up to 66.5% relative to the extant (non-circular) baseline. The modular design scenario delivered the greatest environmental benefit by extending the functional lifespan of key components. Packaging and electronic components were thus identified as dominant environmental hotspots, indicating priorities for future redesign. Overall, the results demonstrate that CE-oriented redesign can substantially improve the environmental sustainability of CGMs without compromising functionality and highlight the value of integrating material composition mapping with LCA to support sustainability-driven medical device design.