Frederik: Welcome to the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast. My name is Frederik van Deurs. I am your host today. Day to day, I work at Care Pathway Consulting, a management consultancy that helps global top-20 pharma companies integrate their sustainability strategies across the value chain, turning strategies into concrete actions for people working in the field, in the laboratories, and in the factories.

Today, I have an amazing guest with me: Arendse from SMALLrevolution. One of the reasons I really love this case is that when we work with sustainability in healthcare, there is a tendency for everything to become theoretical and overwhelming. What SMALLrevolution does is take existing waste streams from healthcare and turn that waste into something new — something more valuable and more beautiful than what it was.

So, without further ado, Arendse, welcome to the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast.

Arendse: Thank you, Frederik, and thank you for that nice introduction.

Frederik: It was flattering, wasn’t it? We have our cameras turned off, but I have a feeling you might be blushing. That makes me happy. Arendse, we first got to know each other when we were sharing an office space in central Copenhagen. For new listeners who are not familiar with SMALLrevolution, can you tell us a bit about how it started and where you are today?

Arendse: Yes, of course. I started SMALLrevolution in 2020 — just a few months before COVID. The ambition at that time was actually very different from where we are today. The ambition was to change playgrounds and playground environments.

I was on my first maternity leave, walking around with my baby boy, looking at all the different playgrounds, and I got a bit annoyed — because playgrounds are very much organised in a way that is targeted at boys. I wanted to change that environment, and the first material I started looking into was plastic. Plastic is a very good material for outdoor furniture. So I began looking into how we could actually produce in plastic — how we could integrate recycled plastic into playground furniture.

Frederik: When you say plastic is a good material for outdoor furniture, can you give us a bit more texture on that? Many listeners will have a scepticism towards plastic. What does it mean that it is a good material?

Arendse: It means that plastic is a very solid material outdoors. It can take rain, sun, and snow — it is weather-resistant, which makes it excellent for furniture and playground equipment. You can also add UV filter and various other chemistry to it, though we choose not to. And the final products become very solid and very durable.

So this was my baseline for changing the organisation of playgrounds. Plastic was the first material I looked into, and I became really excited because at that time — even though it was only six or seven years ago — no one was working with recycled plastic. I was reminded of this just last week at LOOP Forum, where I met one of my very first collaborating partners from SMALLrevolution. He reminded me that at that time, the question was simply: could we actually produce from recycled plastic? Was that even possible?

So we started testing that hypothesis. I drove around visiting various factories in Denmark, and every single one of them said no — except one small family-owned factory in southern Denmark, which could see the potential and was willing to test with me.

Frederik: So the issue was that factories were set up to use virgin, fossil fuel-based plastic as feedstock. You were trying to take recycled plastic and use that as feedstock instead, and there was no precedent for that in Denmark. Is that correctly understood?

Arendse: Yes, exactly. What we were trying at that time was to produce from recycled household waste plastic, and no one had done that before — even though it now sounds strange that it was only six or seven years ago. A lot has changed since then.

So we tested in household waste, and we actually succeeded in producing from it. We also produced in small chemical tanks because the tools for plastic production are very expensive. We did not want to invest in proper tooling until we knew the production could actually work with recycled plastic household waste.

When we succeeded, we started designing and drawing the first furniture for playgrounds. And then COVID arrived. I had invested my entire savings in two tools, and then after two months, COVID hit. All the municipalities and companies I wanted to sell playground furniture to said no — they had different priorities. So in order to recover my savings somehow, I opened a webshop and an Instagram account. During the COVID years, SMALLrevolution operated as a consumer brand.

Today, we have evolved into a much more B2B company.

Frederik: More business-to-business, and no longer selling to consumers through a webshop.

Arendse: Yes. Today we still operate as a design company. We sell furniture made exclusively in recycled plastic. But we also have something quite unique: we offer large companies, organisations, and municipalities help with waste sorting. We collect their waste, turn it into a recycled material, produce products from it, and send it back to the same customer who originally produced the waste.

Frederik: So in that way, you are helping close the loop. The producer of the waste gets a product they would normally purchase from virgin resources — and now they get it from their own waste streams instead.

Arendse: Yes. And on top of that, in 2025 we have worked extensively with LCAs. We now have environmental data for all of our products. So if a municipality orders 20 plant pots, along with the plant pots they receive ESG data — they know exactly where the waste came from, how and where it was produced, and the precise CO2 emissions of those plant pots.

Frederik: That is excellent. So in the old world, a municipality would pay a waste-handling company to collect their plastic waste, send it to recycling, and that would be the end of it. Now instead they engage SMALLrevolution. SMALLrevolution collects the waste, takes it to their production site, turns it into something, and the municipality gets it back. They eliminate the need to purchase the product separately, and they redirect their spend toward an upcycling solution rather than downcycling or conventional recycling. Have you also figured out what normally happens to the waste if it just enters the regular waste stream?

Arendse: That is a really good question, and it has been on our radar for a while. The conventional waste managers here in Denmark are not particularly keen on telling us what actually happens to waste once it enters their facilities. From what we can see, a portion is incinerated, a portion is turned into a material if it has been sorted correctly, and a third portion is sent to a third country.

Frederik: Or landfill.

Arendse: Or landfill, yes. In theory, we can see that around 8 to 10% is actually recycled. That is not a high number for plastic.

Frederik: Wow. That is a poor result. It is kind of like — do we want to cry or laugh? I am choosing to laugh. But that is not a great performance. What seem to be the main barriers to getting that number up? There has long been a narrative that sorting and collection are the main culprits, but now you are saying only 8 to 10% of what is collected is actually recycled.

Arendse: I very much agree with those who say it is because of sorting. Sorting is the main factor determining whether any waste stream gets recycled. It is so important that we focus on doing it correctly — otherwise we cannot turn waste into a resource.

We see this very directly in production. We see metal in our raw material. We see glue. We see paint. We really see the consequences of poor sorting. We also see the consequences of good sorting, and how easy it is to produce from a recycled material when it is 100% plastic. If there is even a small percentage of metal in the raw material, the entire production run is wasted — because metal ruins our tools and machines. Metal is the worst contaminant for us.

Frederik: So you have to stop the entire batch?

Arendse: Yes. Sorting is the key factor for achieving a good recycled material.

Frederik: That is also why, if you have a product with both plastic and metal, you should put it in the metal container.

Arendse: Yes. Do not put it in the plastic container.

Frederik: Because then Arendse’s production will have to be scrapped. So remember: if it has plastic and metal, metal container — or the batch has to go.

Now, Arendse — let’s say I am a hospital that wants to do something about all the waste we produce. We hear a lot from nurses and clinicians that they face immense amounts of waste every day, and that it is a major source of frustration and concern. If a hospital were to approach you, what would you tell them? How might they get started, and what are the most impactful things they can do?

Arendse: We are actually working with two Danish hospitals right now, and they represent two very different approaches.

In one hospital, we have gone directly into the operations. Together with their facilities team, we identified five different waste streams. They set up signs, labels, and containers in the clinical areas, so nurses and doctors sort those waste streams correctly. When they have collected enough waste, we pick it up, transform it into a raw material, and produce products for the hospital. For this particular hospital, we are making ID card holders — so all the nurses and doctors get ID card holders that they use every day. They can see that the sorting they did in the clinical areas actually produced something useful.

We cannot take all the waste from a hospital, because hospitals generate enormous quantities. But we can take a portion and turn it into useful products. And there are so many products in hospitals that could shift from virgin material to recycled material — not just ID card holders. It could also be trays, seating, and many other things that hospitals procure regularly.

Frederik: Things that come in through a regular procurement scheme.

Arendse: Yes. And then the other case we are working with operates quite differently. The waste is collected not from clinical operations but from the hospital more broadly — from canteens, general waste containers, and many other sources beyond just the wards. We collect that more general waste and do the same: transform it into a raw material and produce products that go back to the hospital.

In both cases, the hospital can tell the story to their staff and their patients — that instead of incinerating this plastic waste, they found a way to repurpose it. They are practising circular economy in a very practical way.

Frederik: So if I am a hospital looking at SMALLrevolution, the first step is a consultancy-type assignment — helping identify which waste streams can be separated?

Arendse: Yes, exactly.

Frederik: The second step is setting up a collection and storage system. You mentioned to me in passing that a good batch size to target is around 500 kilos. So obviously you need somewhere to store 500 kilos of plastic waste before you can come and collect it. We have had several guests mention the “not another bucket” problem — particularly in surgical theatres, where nurses are frustrated with companies asking them to add yet another collection box to an already crowded space. How do you approach that challenge?

Arendse: We go about it in two ways. For one hospital, they are actually pressing the waste themselves before we collect it, to reduce the volume it takes up in their warehouse. For the other case, we went into their warehouse and it was like walking into a sweet shop — we could pick and choose from a variety of waste streams they had already collected and stored. We looked for what we could actually produce with: the right colours, the right plastic types, making sure the final products would be monoplastic.

So the two cases are very different. In one, we are able to pick and choose from an existing stockpile. In the other, we took a more consultancy-led approach — identifying waste streams in operations first, then figuring out how to avoid that extra bucket by having the facilities team press the waste so it does not take up too much storage space.

Frederik: That makes a lot of sense. You mentioned earlier that you have LCAs on your products. Do you have an estimate of the CO2 impact of redirecting plastic waste to SMALLrevolution, compared to letting it enter the regular waste stream?

Arendse: We have LCAs on the final products, and the redirection process is included in those LCAs alongside the production itself. What we know is that we reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 30% compared to a virgin plastic product. I cannot compare it to a wood or metal product — only to virgin plastic — but there we reduce by around 30%.

Frederik: But that is only on the product side. We do not have a figure for just the waste stream diversion.

Arendse: Unfortunately, no — I cannot isolate just the process of redirecting the waste. But I want to add one thing that I was reminded of at LOOP Forum last week, something I had actually forgotten over the years: in order to produce one kilo of virgin plastic, we need two kilos of crude oil. Of course, by using recycled material we are also reducing demand for crude oil — which matters especially now in these times of geopolitical uncertainty. It is a good reminder that recycling is not just about lower CO2 emissions. It is also about reducing our dependence on crude oil.

Frederik: That makes a lot of sense. And it is worth bearing in mind that within the circular economy hierarchy, recycling sits toward the bottom. The first step should be to refuse — to not bring more products into the system — and then to reuse, and so on. So we can only hope that the products coming out of SMALLrevolution’s process live a long and functional life. ID card holders, for example — as long as ID cards exist, people will need holders. They should get plenty of use.

Arendse: And I totally agree with you. Of course, we do not want to put more vases or more planters into the world than are needed. The ideal would be no demand at all. But there is demand, and there is a lot of waste — so why not connect those two dots instead of producing in virgin material? All vases in the world should be made from recycled material.

Frederik: Awareness is also a really important step on this journey. Taking plastic waste from a facility and turning it into ID card holders that employees hold in their hands every single day — that raises awareness of the environmental impact of being in operation, whatever industry you are in. It is an important part of the societal awakening that needs to happen. That is also why I wanted to bring you on the show and give you this platform, because I think it is a great case. I love the attitude of going out, seeing what is there, figuring out what you can use, turning it into something beautiful and useful, and putting it back into the loop.

Arendse: Thank you, Frederik.

Frederik: Thanks a lot for bringing that story. Arendse, if anyone wants to contact you to learn more about what they can do about their plastic waste, what is the best way to get in touch?

Arendse: Sending me an email. My email is arendse@smallrevolution.dk.

Frederik: We will put that in the show notes. And if they want to learn more before reaching out, is the website smallrevolution.dk?

Arendse: Yes.

Frederik: Excellent — we will put that in the show notes as well. I can also personally testify that the products are aesthetically pleasing. They are the seats at a restaurant near where I live — and I will confess that I occasionally sit on SMALLrevolution’s benches even when I am not a customer of that particular establishment. That is my own small revolution. Thanks a lot for coming on the show, Arendse.

Arendse: Thank you, Frederik.

Frederik: And to you, dear listeners — you have been listening to the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast. I am your host, Frederik van Deurs. It has been a pleasure having this conversation with Arendse. Please remember to like and subscribe, share the podcast with anyone who might benefit, and send us your guest suggestions. We always deeply appreciate your feedback. Until next time, have a great day.