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9-10 November 2022 | Bristol, UK
Registration required
Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is organising a free in-person Circular Healthcare training session for our Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) members in Europe. The training will cover the health and environmental impacts of plastics, including toxic chemicals found in healthcare settings, as well as plastic reduction strategies and sustainable procurement in healthcare. Some financial support is available for our members’ travel and accommodation costs to participate in the training.
This training session targets management, procurement, sustainability, or waste management teams working in healthcare, but healthcare professionals with an interest in this topic are also welcome. The event will be conducted in English and is for current or pending members of GGHH in Europe.
Not yet a member of GGHH? Membership is completely free - apply today to access this event and future training sessions.
Participants are asked to complete a short survey during the registration process. Please note that spaces for this training event are limited. We therefore encourage you to register as soon as possible. Your registration will be reviewed by a member of the HCWH Europe team before confirming your participation in our event.
Access the programme here
Content
The linear model of consumption widely adopted by the healthcare sector is not sustainable and it risks both our health and the health of our planet. Approximately 4.4% of global carbon emissions can be attributed to the healthcare sector and in Europe, 75% of these emissions derive from the supply chain, i.e. the production, transport, use, and disposal of goods and services. Single-use products are a large part of the healthcare sector’s negative environmental impact - they contribute to the growing disposable culture that has emerged in the sector, increasing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
With plastic use increasing, so has the presence of harmful chemicals, such as endocrine disruptors, which are a particular risk to vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, and chronically ill patients.
In this training, we will:
- Inform participants about the environment and health impacts of plastics
- Raise awareness of the waste hierarchy and how to apply it in healthcare
- Raise awareness of the harmful chemicals present in healthcare settings and how to speed up their phase-out
- Discuss reduction and replacement strategies for single-use items
- Raise awareness of and discuss sustainable procurement strategies
- Discuss challenges and solutions in transitioning to circular healthcare
- Provide discussion and networking opportunities for participants
To assess general knowledge levels of circular healthcare and plastics, including the harmful chemicals they might contain and the associated impacts on health and the environment, participants will be asked to complete a pre-training survey. This is a requirement of registration. Your responses will help us to better tailor the programme and develop our future work to better support circularity in the healthcare sector. Please note that this is not a test of your knowledge. The data will be collected anonymously.
This event is exclusively for current or pending members of GGHH in Europe. Not yet a member of GGHH? Membership is completely free - apply today to access this event and future training sessions. Some financial support is available for our members’ travel and accommodation costs to participate in the training.