Topic: Sustainability

Efforts to make healthcare more sustainable are continuing. On October 9, thirteen industry organizations signed the new Green Deal for Sustainable Healthcare. This continues the successful collaboration after the current Green Deal expires at the end of October.

Many medicines are thrown away even though they still contain valuable active ingredients. At the same time, drug shortages are becoming increasingly common, and the production of medicines has a major impact on the environment. Dr. Lisa-Marie Smale of Erasmus MC wants to investigate whether unused medicines can be “recycled” into new medicines.

On the 24th floor of the Erasmus MC research tower, Esmee Kasteleijn works on making the laboratories more sustainable. Together with her Green Team, she achieved great results: in six months, they recycled 11,500 kilos of hard plastics.

Juliette Mattijsen is a climate activist in addition to being a medical student. She believes there should be more focus in training on the impact of climate change on health and encourages doctors to make their voices heard. ‘We need everyone.’