Kipton Lade: Blue-Zone Solving Significant Greenhouse Gas Carbon Footprint Problems Coming From Healthcare Institutions
November 11, 2022 (Made in CA Exclusive Interview)
Our mission is to reduce hospitals’ hazardous environmental waste and lower financial costs by applying Blue-Zone’s patented technology. We collect unused anesthetics that would normally be vented into the environment and process the collected material into its pure form, providing a sustainable and cost-efficient source of inhalation anesthetic drugs.
Tell us about yourself?
I am a long-time medical device professional. First as a design engineer, then later moving into sales and marketing. Most recently, I have taken leadership roles with small Canadian companies finding funding and advancing technology to commercialization. I got into biomedical engineering as a way to apply technology for the betterment of mankind.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Stay focused and plan two steps ahead. You may not always know what success looks like when you get started, so be open to all possibilities.
What problem does your business solve?
We solve a significant greenhouse gas carbon footprint problem coming from healthcare institutions.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
As the global warming of our planet continues, finding technologies that address key environmental pollutants is becoming more important. Healthcare has been exempt, for the most part, in global warming conversations, yet in most industrialized nations, the carbon footprint of healthcare is nearing 10 per cent of the country’s total.
What is your magic sauce?
There are a few companies looking at capturing these greenhouse gas emissions, but to date, no one except Blue-Zone has regulatory approval to re-sell the captured gas and create a sustainable supply.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
I would like to see a global expansion of our technology. We would like to move beyond Canada into the U.S.A., Europe, and Asia. If all hospitals globally installed our technology, we could reduce the global greenhouse gas footprint by almost two per cent annually.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Scaling up a technology from pilot to commercialization has been the biggest challenge. Logistics challenges and hiring new staff take much longer than anticipated.
How can people get involved?
Decision makers for our technology include anesthesiologists, operating room managers, sustainability officers, facilities management, and senior hospital leadership. For more information, call me at 905.761.1224 or email health@blue-zone.ca
