The circular healthcare chain: learning from Medtronic about the future of medical technology – New podcast!
In this episode of the ESCH-R podcast, host and lead researcher Nicole Hunfeld visits the Bakken Research Center (BRC) in Maastricht to find out. She sits down with Mark Lazeroms, Research Director at the BRC, and Janny Boekhout, Sustainability Manager at Medtronic, a valued partner in the ESCH-R Consortium.
From Ideas to Action: Highlights from the ESCH-R WP4 Co-Creation Session
On 10 and 11 March, researchers, partners and stakeholders of ESCH-R came together in Rotterdam, The Netherlands for an intensive two-day co-creation session focused on advancing circular innovation in healthcare.
Co-creation session: Visuals and setup of Medical Circular Living Labs
On Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, a co-creation session was held as part of the development of the Living Lab Blueprint for the ESCH-R project.
Creating meaningful and sustainable circular solutions with a design thinking mindset
Congratulations to Iris Borst, Dual Degree MSc student Innovation Management & Industrial Design at the @TU Eindhoven, who recently graduated!
© Visual by Iris Borst
YOUNG Medical Delta Thesis awards 2026
On March 12, the Young Medical Delta Thesis Awards took place, featuring three outstanding Master’s presentations. The winning thesis was presented by Han Buck (MSc Integrated Product Design, TU Delft) with: “Ivy Connectors: Improving the Environmental Impact of Infusion Bags in Hospitals.”
Advancing Equity in Healthcare: ESCH-R PI Dr. Nicole Hunfeld at the Tomorrow’s Green & Equitable Hospital Forum
On 17 April 2026 Dr. Nicole Hunfeld, Principal Investigator of ESCH-R, participated in the Tomorrow’s Green & Equitable Hospital Forum, hosted by Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. Nicole joined the panel “Achieving equitable health care requires transformative collaboration across institutions, regions, and nations.”
Circular Business Models and Downstream Value Chain Collaboration in the Medical Device Industry
Congratulations to Vita van den Broek, Master Student Innovation Management at the TU Eindhoven, who recently graduated! Her graduation project is called ‘Circular Business Models and Downstream Value Chain Collaboration in the Medical Device Industry’.
“The phase of low-hanging fruit has passed”
Interview with ESCH-R PI Nicole Hunfeld in ZonMW Impuls magazine.
Source: ZonMW Impuls
The sustainable healthcare movement is growing and thriving. After picking the low-hanging fruit, it’s time to go after the higher-hanging fruit. According to Nicole Hunfeld and Wouter Hehenkamp, we’re not there yet. To get there, we need to move away from the idea that “anything goes in healthcare.” System players, such as the pharmaceutical industry, will also need to adapt and move along.
“We need to start thinking much more circularly in healthcare”
Interview with Erik van Raaij – WP4 Lead Esch-R on the website of the Dutch Implementation Collective (KiZ – Quality and Safety in Healthcare).
Sustainability, or “green” healthcare, is not a new topic. However, the level of attention it receives within healthcare is relatively recent – though clearly growing. KiZ therefore spoke with Erik van Raaij about the importance of this theme and the role of sustainability within quality of care.
Five ESCH-R students have completed or are nearing the completion of their master project:
- Cathelijn Bogers (TU Delft)
- Manou Blijboom (TU Delft)
- Anna Statius Muller (TU Delft)
- Eleonore van Hees (TU Delft)
- Vita van den Broek (TU Eindhoven)
Their work focuses on accelerating circular interventions in hospitals – from reducing waste to redesigning medical materials and rethinking business models. In doing so, they contribute to a more sustainable and future-proof healthcare system!
We’ll be sharing the insights of their projects soon!
Internal Events
20 May 2026
ESCH-R PhD Day
This day is organized by ESCH-R Researcher Sanne Jansen (WP5) for ESCH-R PhD’s and Postdocs.
Practical details
Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 09.00 – 17.00
Location: UMC Utrecht
The ESCH-R Transition Training day is focused on exploring transitions on how our scientific work contributes to the shift from a linear to a circular healthcare system, which will be led by Roel van Raak from the DRIFT institute.
More details of the day will be shared later on.
21 May 2026
Community of Practice for Nurses and Educators
WP lead: Ellen Bakker
Practical details
Date: 21 May 2026
Time: 16.00 – 17.00
Location: Online
Language: Dutch
ESCH-R PhD Joek van der Zwaan will be presenting about his research on the analysis of the systematic barriers that hinder the implementation of circular interventions in hospitals.
15 Sept
ESCH-R PhD and Postdoc intervision session
Practical details
Date: 15 September 2026
Time: 10.00 – 13.00
Further details regarding the location and program will follow. A calendar invite will be sent to all PhD and Postdoc students. Please note that attendance is mandatory.
17 Sept
Community of Practice for Nurses and Educators
WP lead: Ellen Bakker
Practical details
Date: 24 September 2026
Time: 16.00 – 17.00
Location: Online
Language: Dutch
ESCH-R PI Nicole Hunfeld will present during this Community of Practice for Nurses and Educators
2 Oct
2026
ESCH-R PAC Meeting
Practical details
Date: 2 October 2026
Time: 13.30 – 18.00
Location: TBA
This meeting is for PAC members only.
10 Dec
Community of Practice for Nurses and Educators
WP lead: Ellen Bakker
Practical details
Date: 10 December 2026
Time: 16.00 – 17.00
Location: Online
Language: Dutch
11 Dec
ESCH-R PhD and Postdoc intervision session
Practical details
Date: 11 December 2026
Time: 10.00 – 13.00
Further details regarding the location and program will follow. A calendar invite will be sent to all PhD and Postdoc students. Please note that attendance is mandatory.
29 Jan 2027
ESCH-R Science Meeting
Save the date!
Practical details
Date: 29 January 2027
Time: 09.00 – 17.30
Location: TBA
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON!
External events
21 – 23 April 2026
2nd Annual European Medical Device Sustainability & ESG Compliance Conference
Practical details
Date: 21 – 23 April 2026
Location: NH Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands
The 2nd Annual European Medical Device Sustainability & ESG Compliance Conference offers actionable insights on achieving real progress toward sustainability and compliance goals. Delegates will hear from industry pioneers, regulators, and sustainability leaders who are turning ESG commitments into measurable outcomes. Through workshops, case studies, expert dialogues, and best practices, the conference equips attendees to strengthen transparency, drive responsible innovation, and build a future-ready MedTech ecosystem.
Our PI Nicole Hunfeld will present on the 23rd of April about ESCH-R.
23 April 2026
Symposium: Let’s talk about sustainability!
Practical details
Date: 23 April 2026
Time: 13.45 – 16.30
Location: Erasmus University Rotterdam, Building Erasmus Pavilion, Burgemeester Oudlaan 350, 3062 PA Rotterdam
Making healthcare more sustainable is not just about going green. When it comes to making healthcare more sustainable, we are of course talking about reducing emissions, waste and water consumption, but also about fair working conditions, human rights, health promotion, equal access, financial sustainability and resilient healthcare systems.
22 May 2026
Planetary Health Symposium
Practical details
Date: 22 May 2026
Time: 12.00 – 18.00 (or online between 13:00 – 15:00).
Location: Erasmus University Rotterdam, Building Erasmus Pavilion, Burgemeester Oudlaan 350, 3062 PA Rotterdam.
On 22 May, World Biodiversity Day, join us for the symposium: How can we actively shape tomorrow through planetary health? This event is an opportunity to exchange ideas, spark new collaborations and explore how planetary health can strengthen real-world decisions across sectors. We look forward to welcoming you!
28 May 2026
Green Science Festival
Practical details
Date: 28 May 2026
Time: 09.00 – 19.00
Location: Hybrid – NEMO Science Museum Amsterdam
Green Science Festival is a one-day festival where science, sustainability, and innovation come together. The event brings researchers, professionals, students, and changemakers into one shared space to exchange ideas, research, and practical insights that contribute to a more sustainable future.
The festival offers a diverse program of talks, presentations, and discussions, highlighting both scientific research and real-world applications. From emerging technologies and environmental sciences to social innovation and policy, the Green Science Festival creates room for cross-disciplinary perspectives and collaboration.
11 June 2026
The Erasmus MC Green Expo
Practical details
Date: 11 June 2026
Time: 09.00 – 13.00
Location: Erasmus MC, The Education Center (in Dutch Onderwijscentrum, acronym: OWC)
How can healthcare be made more sustainable? And what role can you play in this?
During the Erasmus MC Green Expo, participants are taken into the world of sustainable healthcare, innovation, and impact. From inspiring speakers to interactive exhibitions: this is not to be missed.
Featuring a special guest speaker: Helga van Leur (meteorologist, sustainability ambassador).
More details will be shared later.
Would you like to share your ESCH-R news? Whether it’s vacancies, new PhDs, student achievements, research updates, publications with science insights, tweets, media appearances, or anything else, we’d love to hear from you!
When sharing your news, please make sure to attach your photos/images or figures and always make sure when people are visible, you have their permission to use the pictures.
Below the format you can use to share your news with us:
- What is the purpose of your news?
- What title can we use?
- Who attended (names, roles, if related to ESCH-R meetings/events)?
- What were the main topics discussed or key findings?
- Were any follow-up actions or appointments agreed upon?
- Is there anything special or noteworthy?
If you post on social media yourself, feel free to use these hashtags:
#circularhealthcare #circularity #ESCH-R #circularhospital #sustainability #research #greenhealthcare
Share your updates with us via info@esch-r.org, and we’ll include them in our next newsletter and publish the news on our website and possibly social media!
Deadlines for newsletter submissions:
- 12 June, 2026
- 11 September, 2026
- 6 November, 2026
ESCH-R Publication Procedure
We would like to remind you of the ESCH‑R publication procedure. Please make sure to fill in the publication template when planning a scientific publication.
The ESCH‑R project board has established this procedure to provide guidance and ensure transparency for all researchers and partners within the ESCH‑R consortium. By submitting your manuscript plan at an early stage, the project board can offer advice on potential collaborations, data availability and management, publication formats, license options to help avoid article processing charges (APCs), and the correct way to acknowledge ESCH‑R in your publication.
You can find both the explanatory document and the template in Teams.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Laura Pruyn: l.pruyn@erasmusmc.nl
Have you been approached by a journalist for an interview or article about ESCH-R? Please let us know! We coordinate PR efforts to ensure clear and consistent messaging.
Before responding, reach out to Maaike and Nicole so we can align and provide any necessary support.
Thank you!
ESCH-R
Email adress: info@esch-r.org
Email adress: ESCH-R@erasmusmc.nl
Website: www.esch-r.org
