We’re excited to invite you to our second annual ESCH-R Science Day! Since the start of 2024, we have been working closely with our partners to rethink and redesign medical consumables and packaging, following the 10-Rs circularity framework, with the aim of propelling hospitals toward a circular future.
Date: Friday February 6, 2026
PAC meeting (on invitation only): 10.00
Science Day: 11.00 with lunch
Location: Academiegebouw | Universiteit Utrecht | Domplein | Utrecht
ESCH-R WP4 Roadmap Session – Building the future of circular healthcare together
On October 28th, the ESCH-R WP4 team gathered at the Langeveld Building in Rotterdam – the most sustainable university building in the Netherlands – for a collaborative roadmap session that will guide our work until 2028.
Under the moderation of the team of Zeewaardig, and with inspiring contributions from our consortium partners including SABIC, Medtronic, Wittenburg, DORC, Philips, and PreZero and academic hospitals UMC Utrecht and Erasmus MC, we worked on:
- Defining next steps for our 2026 co-creation sessions
- Creating collective buy-in for the WP4 approach for the coming year
- Selecting two example products to explore circular business models
ESCH-R joins the European Sustainability Workshop at Schiphol Airport hosted by Medtronic
On October 17th, Medtronic brought together a dynamic group of healthcare and sustainability leaders for a high-impact workshop at Schiphol Airport. The event featured a large team from the US alongside representatives from leading hospital systems across the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan Carel Diehl (WP5) contributed the Dutch perspective by presenting some of the ESCH-R cases. The discussions highlighted the importance of continued collaboration and dialogue to drive meaningful progress in circularity across European healthcare systems.
Showcasing Circular Design at the Medical Packaging Conference
On October 7th, during the opening day of the Medical Packaging Conference (MPC) 2025 in Frankfurt, Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan Carel Diehl represented ESCH-R as an invited panelist in Session 4: “Transforming Healthcare Through Safe and Sustainable by Design.”
On behalf of the ESCH-R project Jan Carel presented the Material Flow Analysis of Medication at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Erasmus MC and the ESCH-R Circular Medical Packaging cases which are currently under development.
DesHealth Autumn School: Circular Design in Healthcare
From 29 September till 3 October, the DesHealth Autumn School took place at TU Delft, bringing together an international group of students, PhD candidates, and professionals for a deep dive learning to apply the Circular Healthcare Design Canvas to real-world healthcare challenges.
The program, co-organized by TU Delft and Erasmus MC, with involvement from, ESCH-R WP5 Lead Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan Carel Diehl, Dr. Ir. Jotte de Koning, ESCH-R Postdoc Ayşegül Özçelik and ESCH-R PhD Jasper Klasen, offered a dynamic mix of lectures, interactive modules, and hands-on casework.
ESCH-R Podcast with Arthur Haag and Freek Bakker from PreZero
Our fourth ESCH-R Podcast! Circular waste streams? Is that possible? In dialogue with PreZero. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities in transitioning healthcare towards a more circular future!
In this podcast episode, Nicole Hunfeld sits down with Arthur Haag (Sectormanager Cure, Care & Education) and Freek Bakker (Director Value Chain Paper & Plastics) from PreZero to discuss how hospitals and waste processors can work together to make healthcare truly circular.
Sorry, this podcast is in Dutch!
Exploring collaboration at the Delta Climate Center
On October 6th the team of the EWUU alliance – institute 4 a Circular Society (i4CS) visited the Delta Climate Center in Vlissingen, an inspiring initiative where education, research, and innovation come together to tackle the complex challenges of climate adaptation.
Throughout the day, the teams pitched ongoing projects and explored connections across shared themes. Florijn Dekkers, ESCH-R Project board member, pitched about the ESCH-R Project.
Lof der Geneeskunst 2025
The annual public lecture of Erasmus MC, “Lof der Geneeskunst”, focused this year on a new field of research: Planetary Health.
Speakers Dr. Ir. Marjolein van Esch (TU Delft), Dr. Jasper Been (Erasmus MC), and Prof. Dr. Ir. Erik van Raaij (ESCH-R WP4 Lead) shared their knowledge about heat in the city, its health risks, and also the impact of healthcare on the planet.
ESCH-R at the Decarbonising Healthcare Event in London
Mid September, three representatives of ESCH-R – Nicole Hunfeld, JC Diehl and Erik van Raaij – travelled to London to take part in the Decarbonising Healthcare Event.
The meeting, organised by Hugh Montgomery and hosted at the inspiring Aga Khan Centre, brought together international frontrunners in sustainable healthcare.
Can you imagine a future where today’s waste makes resource scarcity a thing of the past?
From bakeries to healthcare, plastics are everywhere. It feels like we can’t live without them. But here’s the real question: how can we recycle them more effectively?
On September 17, our ESCH-R PhD candidates, postdoc and researchers visited PreZero Nederland – one of our consortium partners. As one of the largest and most comprehensive environmental service providers in Europe, PreZero takes responsibility for a cleaner tomorrow and establishes resource cycles!
Celebrating Naomi’s PhD Defence
Our ESCH-R project manager, Naomi Kakiailatu, successfully defended her PhD thesis “Beyond Enteric Neurons: A Broader Perspective on Hirschsprung Disease” on September 23, 2025, at Erasmus MC.
Since joining the team in May, Naomi has already been a valued member of the project board. We congratulate her on this milestone and wish her the very best in the future!
For those who missed it, the defence can still be viewed online here.
Graduation Han Buck
After completing her research on the sustainability of infusion bags, Han Buck, master student Industrial Design at TU Delft, will graduate on October 31st.
In her graduation project, she focused on designing a more sustainable and circular infusion bag building on her earlier findings about the use of infusion bags within the Erasmus MC.
Practical details
Date: 31 October, 2025
ESCH-R Community of Practice for Nurses and Educators
WP lead: Ellen Bakker
Upcoming:
Thursday – 11 December 2025
Thursday – 12 February 2026
Thursday – 21 May 2026
Thursday – 24 September 2026
Thursday – 10 December 2026
Practical details
Time: 16.00 – 17.00
Location: Online
Language: Dutch
Have you attended a conference and presented your research about ESCH-R? We would love to feature yHave you attended a conference and presented your research about ESCH-R? We would love to feature your insights!
Please share:
- A short text about your experience: key takeaways, the research you presented, and any relevant highlights.
- Photos of your presentation, poster, or the event.
- Everyone who is involved, names, functions etc.
We will use your contribution for our website, newsletter, and possibly social media!
Please share your text and photos via info@esch-r.org
If you post on social media yourself, feel free to use these hashtags:
#circularhealthcare #circularity #ESCH-R #circularhospital #sustainability #research #greenhealthcare
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 Naomi: n.kakiailatu@erasmusmc.nl
Are you presenting soon and need a research poster template or Powerpoint template?
Download the ESCH-R Poster template and Powerpoint template via the button below.
Would you like to share your ESCH-R news? Whether it’s vacancies, new PhDs, student achievements, research updates, publications, 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 INDICATE 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?
Share your updates with us via info@esch-r.org, and we’ll include them in our next newsletter!
Deadlines for newsletter submissions:
- 5 December, 2025
- 13 February, 2026
- 10 April, 2026
- 12 June, 2026
- 11 September, 2026
- 6 November, 2026
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
