Silke Rijcks graduated on January 29, 2025, from the Integrated Product Design master’s program at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, with a focus on sustainable design. Together with ESCH-R PhD candidate Jasper Klasen, Silke executed a Material Flow Analysis (MFA) at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Erasmus MC to assess its current environmental impact and to identify environmental hotspots (for potential reductions). For all medications prescribed more than 250 times in 2023 within the ICU, the components of the packaging were assessed by weight.

The findings revealed a significant use of glass, paper, and various plastic blends, with dialysis bag packaging standing out as a major contributor. Notably, the cardboard boxes used for these bags alone account for 20% of the waste. In her thesis, Silke proposed a more sustainable alternative: replacing single-use cardboard boxes with reusable ones.

Read Silke’s research paper via: Redesigning Medication Packaging | TU Delft Repository. 

Now, she’s looking to apply her expertise in product design at a company committed to sustainability and circular innovation. Do you have or do you know an organization that has a suitable challenge for her? Let us know and we can connect you!