IMCD Group ("IMCD" or "Company"), a leading global partner for the sales, distribution, and formulation of speciality chemicals and ingredients, will present three polymer solutions for medical devices at COMPAMED 2026. Experts from IMCD Advanced Materials and its supplier partners will be on Stand D01 in Hall 8B at Messe Düsseldorf from 16 to 19 November.
Three polymer solutions for medical devices
The solutions help manufacturers make their devices more sustainable without compromising performance or regulatory compliance:
- ISCC PLUS-certified medical-grade ABS: a pre-coloured grade with certified recycled content, allocated through mass balance. It arrives ready-coloured, so no separate colouring step is needed.
- Drop-in renewable-based polyolefins for lab consumables: made with renewable feedstock, while the grade name, certifications, packaging and labelling stay the same. This keeps the effort of switching to a minimum.
- Bioresorbable polymers for implantable devices: the body absorbs them once they have done their job, which can avoid a second operation. Their breakdown rate and properties can be adjusted to suit the application.
Visitors can also explore IMCD's wider range of medical-grade polymers, for applications from surgical instruments and medical tubing to drug delivery, diagnostics and packaging.
Two global trends behind the solutions
The first trend is an ageing world. By 2050, around 1.5 billion people are expected to be aged 65 or over, and the number of people over 80 is set to triple. An older population needs more chronic care, more surgery and more medical devices. This is driving lasting demand for medical technology and the high-performance materials behind it.
The second trend is sustainability. In a 2025 industry survey by IMCD, 29% of medical customers named developing more sustainable products as their top priority. Half already use sustainability to stand out from competitors, and a further 28% expect to do so within five years. That makes choosing a material a commercial decision as much as a technical one.
"Sustainability is now a lasting selling point in medtech. It adds to the pressure manufacturers already face from strict regulation and complex global supply chains," says Jana Zietzling, Global Market Lead, Medical & International Principal Manager, IMCD Advanced Materials. "Because we work closely with both polymer producers and device manufacturers, we see early where materials and market needs are heading. We bring that knowledge into our customers' projects at the start of development, when it makes the biggest difference."
Jana Zietzling, Global Market Lead, Medical & International Principal Manager, IMCD Advanced Materials. (Photo: IMCD)
Global reach, local expertise
For manufacturers selling worldwide, repeated qualifications, differing regulations and fragmented supply chains add cost and delay. IMCD's global expertise and local teams help them qualify a material once and produce consistently across regions. After almost 25 years in EMEA, IMCD was asked by a long-standing principal to take over its US business. Other principals have since followed into North America, and the expansion now continues into Northern Latin America.
"Device manufacturers think globally, but materials are chosen and qualified close to where devices are designed and made," says Olivier Champault, Global Business Group Director, IMCD Advanced Materials. "That's why we combine global expertise with local teams in each market. When a partner hands us its US business after years of working together in EMEA, it's the clearest sign that this model works, for our suppliers and for the manufacturers they serve."
Olivier Champault, Global Business Group Director, IMCD Advanced Materials. (Photo: IMCD)
Media contact
Katie Stiefermann
Global Marketing Manager, Advanced Materials
+49 163 696 8817
Muriel Werlé
Corporate Communications Director
+31 10 290 86 14
