The Sustainable Healthcare Podcast

Care Pathway Consulting Aps

Learn the dos and don'ts of green innovation from experienced industry leaders. Your hosts are Frederik Dam van Deurs and Joachim Almdal.

  1. May 11

    104 - Small Revolution: Stories About Upcycling in Hospitals

    What if the plastic waste from a hospital's clinical areas could come back as the ID card holders every nurse and doctor wears every day? That is what SMALLrevolution is doing, and it is one of the more elegant circular economy stories I have come across in healthcare. About the guest: Arendse Ekegren Baggesen is the Founder of SMALLrevolution, a Danish design-to-manufacturing company that collects plastic waste from hospitals, municipalities, and companies, transforms it into recycled raw material, and produces furniture and functional products that go back to the original waste producer. Three key takeaways: According to Arendse, only 8-10% of plastic collected in Denmark is actually recycled. Sorting quality in the waste stream, not collection, is the primary bottleneck.SMALLrevolution's closed-loop model: they collect a facility's waste, produce products from it, and return those products to the same facility, along with full LCA and ESG data.According to Arendse, producing one kilo of virgin plastic requires two kilos of crude oil. Redirecting to recycled material reduces both CO2 emissions (around 30% vs. virgin plastic, based on SMALLrevolution's own LCAs) and crude oil demand.Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction and origins of SMALLrevolution02:00 - Why recycled plastic for outdoor furniture?05:00 - Finding the first factory willing to work with household plastic waste07:00 - How COVID pivoted SMALLrevolution from B2C to B2B08:00 - The closed-loop model: collect, produce, return09:00 - LCAs and ESG data on every product10:00 - What actually happens to plastic in the "normal" waste stream?12:00 - Why sorting quality, not collection, is the real bottleneck14:00 - How hospitals can get started: two live case studies18:00 - The "not another bucket" problem in surgical theatres21:00 - CO2 impact: around 30% reduction vs. virgin plastic (based on SMALLrevolution's own LCAs)23:00 - According to Arendse: 2 kg of crude oil per 1 kg of plastic, and what that means for resource resiliencePull quote: "All vases in the world should be produced in a recycled material. There is demand, and there is a lot of waste, so why not connect those two dots?" Contact Arendse: Website: smallrevolution.dk LinkedIn: Arendse Ekegren Baggesen You might also enjoy: Episode 088: Circular Material Flow of Medication in the Intensive Care Unit (Nicole Hunfeld, Erasmus UMC) Episode 074: The Future of Reprocessing in Healthcare (Lars Thording, Innovative Health) Episode 096: Recycling Pharmaceutical Transport Packaging (Arne Kloke, SCHOTT Pharma)

    29 min

  2. May 4

    103 - Anna Roe Rasmussen - What happens when a doctor applies the rigour of clinical research to the carbon footprint of surgery?

    What happens when a doctor applies the rigour of clinical research to the carbon footprint of surgery? In this episode, Frederik speaks with Anna Roe Rasmussen, MD, MSc Health Policy — a scientific researcher at the Regional Unit for the Green Transition in Region Zealand. Anna recently defended her PhD at the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark, where she applied lifecycle assessment (LCA) to total hip replacement surgery, working towards the integration of environmental impact into clinical decision-making. About Anna: Anna has spent over a decade at the intersection of climate and health — as a co-founder of Doctors for Climate Denmark (Læger for Klimaet), as part of the working group that drafted the Danish Medical Association's climate and health policy (published 2022), and as a scientific researcher applying LCA methodology to surgical care pathways. Three things you'll take away: Why the field needs to distinguish more clearly between carbon footprint screenings and full ISO-compliant LCAs — and what gets lost when clinicians can't tell the difference.Why specialty-level carbon literacy is the missing link between organisational sustainability targets and meaningful action on the ground in clinical departments.Why acting — finding someone to act with — is Anna's personal antidote to climate anxiety.Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction03:00 — Anna's PhD: applying LCA to total hip replacement surgery08:00 — From medical student at COP to co-founding Doctors for Climate Denmark10:00 — The Danish Medical Association's 2022 climate and health policy13:00 — A passionate but fragmented global movement of healthcare workers17:00 — The publication explosion in healthcare LCA — and why quality must keep pace21:00 — Carbon screening vs. ISO-compliant LCA: the precision vs. direction trade-off27:00 — Specialty-level carbon literacy as the next step for healthcare decarbonisation33:00 — Carbon budgets and financial budgets: an uncomfortable but necessary analogy38:00 — The hard conversations healthcare systems avoid41:00 — What makes Anna hopeful: engaged colleagues and the power of acting togetherReferences and links mentioned: ISO 14040/14044 standards for lifecycle assessment (see iso.org)DTU Centre for Absolute SustainabilityDoctors for Climate Denmark / Læger for Klimaet — Facebook [Joachim/Frederik: add official website if available]Danish Medical Association climate and health policy 2022 [Frederik: add direct link]International Federation of Medical Students' Associations: ifmsa.orgGuest links: Anna Roe Rasmussen on LinkedInSjællands UniversitetshospitalDTU Centre for Absolute SustainabilityYou might also enjoy: Episode 097: Visualising Circular Healthcare — Tamara Hoveling (TU Delft) on LCA methodology in healthcareEpisode 101: Sustainable Healthcare: Implementation and Hope — Maria GadenEpisode 088: Circular Material Flow in the ICU — Nicole Hunfeld (Erasmus UMC)[Episode Spotify/platform links to be added by Frederik] Hosts: Joachim Almdal on LinkedInFrederik van Deurs on LinkedInCare Pathway ConsultingPull quote: "If you want to do something — act. And find someone to do it with. That's always both more fun and more productive." — Anna Roe Rasmussen

    45 min

  3. Apr 27

    102 - Sustainable Clinical Trials (1): Christian Hieronimi on Convien & myoncare

    The first episode of our Sustainable Clinical Trials mini-series, produced in partnership with the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC), following up on the Community of Practice conference in London on 4 November 2025. Each episode brings one of the CoP speakers back to share their story in long form.   GUEST Christian Hieronimi, Founder & CEO of ONCARE (myoncare) and co-founder of Convien. A serial healthcare entrepreneur based in Munich, with previous exits to Elekta (Medical Intelligence) and Varian (humediq).   WHAT YOU WILL LEARN How Convien's meeting-point optimiser can cut around 30 to 35% of travel cost and 40% of the CO2 footprint of investigator meetings, by jointly optimising ticket price, travel time and carbon per kilogram.Why roughly half of corporate travel spend in international organisations is driven by meetings, not customer visits, and why that makes meetings the biggest under-addressed decarbonisation lever in clinical operations.How myoncare uses wearable data, symptom questionnaires and guideline-based thresholds to "fill the void" between doctor visits, and how the same platform can decentralise a trial by routing blood work, imaging and eligibility checks to local providers.  TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction by Nathalie Preiswerk (Sustainable Healthcare Coalition) and series framing 02:00 Meet Christian: serial founder, robotics and oncology background 03:30 Convien origin story: Beijing vs. Barcelona, 2010 06:00 The three-variable optimisation: cost, time, carbon 10:00 How big is the meetings prize inside corporate travel 11:00 Applying Convien to investigator meetings and site selection 13:00 Introducing myoncare: a care orchestration platform 16:00 A chronic kidney disease use case, end to end 20:00 Decentralised trials: bringing the site to the patient 22:00 Bring-your-own-device and the International Patient Summary 25:00 Care pathways that trigger the next step automatically   REFERENCES MENTIONED Sustainable Healthcare Coalition Community of Practice conference (London, 4 Nov 2025): https://shcoalition.org/cop-conference/SHC Sustainable Clinical Trials Knowledge Hub: https://shcoalition.org/sustainable-clinical-trials-knowledge-hub/Convien Smart Meeting Location Planner: https://www.convien.com/myoncare Virtual coordinated care: https://www.myoncare.com/Convien Meeting Point Optimiser (Siemens partnership, Microsoft AppSource): https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/wa200001588EU MDR 2017/745 (myoncare is classified as MDR Class IIa)International Patient Summary (ISO 27269)  CONNECT WITH THE GUEST Christian Hieronimi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-hieronimi-066a394/ONCARE / myoncare: https://www.myoncare.com/Convien GmbH: https://www.convien.com/  YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY 091 SHC: the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (Fiona Adshead, Keith Moore, Nathalie Preiswerk), the backstory to this mini-series.089 Koen Kas on transforming healthcare and clinical trials, another conversation on reimagining the trial operating model.083 Sustainability requirements in public procurement, relevant if you are thinking about where the buy-side pressure lands.  HOSTS Joachim Almdal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachim-espeland-almdal-017a6973/Frederik van Deurs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederikvandeurs/Care Pathway Consulting: https://carepathwayconsulting.com  PULL QUOTE "In between two doctor's visits, nobody looks after the patient, because the patient's pretty much invisible. We are filling up that void." Christian Hieronimi   Produced in partnership with the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition.

    28 min

  4. Apr 19

    101 - Implementation and Hope with Maria Gaden

    Why do hospitals with good data, proven cases and clear economics still fail to implement sustainability solutions at scale? That is the question Maria Gaden is spending three years answering. Maria returns to the podcast as Chief of Development at Center for Sustainable Hospitals in Central Denmark Region, and as a public industrial PhD student at the University of Copenhagen's Globe Institute. Her research is in implementation science: what actually determines whether a sustainability intervention gets adopted across a whole hospital - not just one passionate department. In this conversation, Frederik and Maria cover: - Why the reusable surgical gown project has not yet launched and why she still calls it a success - Moving from "heroes" to systems, and from passion to governance - 38 hospital interviews across Denmark, a trip to Karolinska Institutet, and a visit to Singapore's Centre for Sustainable Medicine - How to start if you work inside a hospital and how it differs if you sit inside pharma - Why human irrationality is the real implementation barrier, and what to do about it **Timestamps** 00:00  Welcome back 01:30 New title, new PhD 02:30 The reusable textiles project update 07:30 Heroes to systems, passion to governance 09:00 Why implementation science 13:30 The research: 38 interviews, four countries 17:30 Rationality is not the main driver 22:30 Advice for healthcare professionals 29:30 Advice for pharma and medtech 38:30 What gives Maria hope **Pull quote (Maria):** *"We know the solutions. We have the data. So what is really hindering implementation right now? That is what I keep asking."* **References and links from the episode** - [Center for Sustainable Hospitals, Central Denmark Region](https://www.rm.dk/om-os/organisation/center-for-baeredygtige-hospitaler/) [URL to confirm] - [Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen](https://globe.ku.dk/) - [Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH)](https://greenhospitals.org/)  free to join; hosted by Health Care Without Harm - [Health Care Without Harm  Europe](https://europe.noharm.org/) - [Centre for Sustainable Medicine, NUS Singapore](https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/cosm/) - [Karolinska Institutet](https://ki.se/en) - [*Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality* (free online)](https://hpmor.com/)  referenced by Frederik **Connect with Maria** - [Maria Gaden on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariagaden/) - [Center for Sustainable Hospitals](https://www.rm.dk/om-os/organisation/center-for-baeredygtige-hospitaler/) [URL to confirm] **You might also enjoy:** - Episode 090 ‚Äî *Data-Driven Decarbonisation of Danish Hospitals* (Rasmus & Thea, Region Midt) - Episode 087/086 ‚Äî *Sustainability insights from 290 nurses and clinicians* (Michael Maagaard, Region Midt) - Episode 044 & 043 ‚Äî Maria Gaden's previous appearances on the show **Host links** - [Joachim Almdal on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachim-espeland-almdal-017a6973/) - [Frederik van Deurs on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederikvandeurs/) - [Care Pathway Consulting](https://carepathwayconsulting.com)

    42 min

  5. Apr 11

    100 - Liz Willetts on Biodiversity x Healthcare

    Liz Willetts has spent 20 years at the intersection of nature and health. In this conversation, she explains why nearly 200 governments have been asking for integrated biodiversity-health indicators for over a decade, and why the scientific community still hasn't delivered them. About the guest: Liz Willetts is a science-policy expert on global governance of the health-environment nexus. She has served as Planetary Health Policy Director at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, science-policy advisor to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is a Team Leader, Editor and Writer at IISD's Earth Negotiations Bulletin. She is also a primary care clinician with experience in Micronesia, Central America, and the US. Key takeaways: 196 countries have called for biodiversity-health metrics through the Convention on Biological Diversity for decades, but the health and environmental science communities remain siloed, and integrated indicators still don't existEven senior clinicians with 10+ years of experience may not know how to define "biodiversity", pointing to a fundamental gap in medical educationThe post-consumption lifecycle of pharmaceuticals, what happens when drugs exit patients and enter wastewater, represents a massive blind spot in both environmental monitoring and clinical trainingTimestamps: 00:00 - Introduction and Liz's background 03:00 - How environmental decisions are public health decisions 08:00 - Air quality policy as a biodiversity example (Copenhagen low emission zones) 12:00 - The decade-long gap: governments asking for indicators nobody has built 18:00 - The grand rounds anecdote: a clinician who didn't know "biodiversity" 22:00 - Plant blindness and the siloing of scientific education 26:00 - Chronic kidney disease carbon footprint and biodiversity 30:00 - Practical advice for national biodiversity-health strategies 36:00 - Held v. State of Montana: climate litigation as a model for ecosystem values 42:00 - The nature footprint of healthcare: a blank canvas 46:00 - Pharmaceutical pollution and the end-of-life gap 50:00 - What gives Liz hope References mentioned: Liz Willetts, "Metrics for Biodiversity and Health Policy Integration," PLOS Global Public Health, 2025: PubMedConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022)Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, adopted at CBD COP16 (2024)Held v. State of Montana: Climate Case ChartPlant blindness (academic concept): Literature review 1999-2024Pharma Pollution Hub / Kelly Thornber: pharmapollution.orgGlobal Biodiversity Framework: https://www.cbd.int/gbfGlobal Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health: https://www.cbd.int/health/GAP.shtmlLinks:Liz Willetts on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-willetts-2336749/IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin: https://enb.iisd.org/Joachim Almdal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joachim-espeland-almdal-017a6973/Frederik van Deurs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frederikvandeurs/Care Pathway Consulting: https://carepathwayconsulting.comYou might also enjoy:Episode 092: Planetary Boundaries & Health with Mia Heide (WELA)Episode 098: Tackling Pharmaceutical Pollution: A Systems-Based ApproachEpisodes 023/024: The Biodiversity Crisis in Healthcare (two-parter)

    52 min

  6. Apr 1

    099 Integrating Sustainability into business - a pharma supplier perspective with Marwin Krull

    Meeting Pharma's Rising Sustainability Demands: Marwin Krull on Körber Pharma and the Alliance to Zero Marwin Krull is Sustainability Lead for the Pharma business area at Körber Pharma and Vice President of the Alliance to Zero. He explains how pharma customer requests have evolved from broad questions about EcoVadis scores and green electricity to specific demands around product carbon footprints, SBTi alignment, CDP thresholds, and ISO-based LCAs. Key takeaways:Pharma sustainability demands have matured fast - customers now ask for verified GHG inventories and product-level carbon footprints, not just policiesClosing the gap between group sustainability strategy and day-to-day operations requires internal coordination, sales enablement, and e-learning - not just a targetThe Alliance to Zero (founded 2021) is driving practical collaboration across the autoinjector value chain, including a syringe packaging redesign and "green premium" transparency research with TU HamburgTimestamps: 00:00 - Customer sustainability pressure 00:37 - Meet Marwin Krull and his roles 03:35 - How customer demands evolved 07:13 - What Körber Pharma does 10:21 - Inside the sustainability role 14:58 - Sales enablement and training 18:05 - What is Alliance to Zero 21:30 - Collaboration wins and research 25:33 - Practical advice and wrap-up Links: Marwin Krull on LinkedIn | Alliance to Zero | Körber Pharma Hosts: Joachim Almdal on LinkedIn | Frederik van Deurs on LinkedIn | Care Pathway Consulting "Customers went from asking 'do you have green electricity?' to asking for ISO-verified product carbon footprints in just a few years." - Marwin Krull

    28 min
  7. 098 - Tackling Pharmaceutical Pollution: A Systems-Based Approach

    Feb 3

    098 - Tackling Pharmaceutical Pollution: A Systems-Based Approach

    Tackling Pharmaceutical Pollution: A Systems-Based Approach In this episode of the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast, host Frederik Dam van Deurs welcomes Kelly Thornber, a researcher and advocate for addressing pharmaceutical pollution. Kelly shares her journey from working in Bangladesh to identifying pharmaceutical pollution as a global issue, and discusses the systems-based approach needed to mitigate its risks to public and environmental health. Episode Summary Kelly Thornber discusses the complexity of pharmaceutical pollution and the need for a systems-based strategy to address it. She highlights the importance of understanding the entire lifecycle of pharmaceuticals, from manufacture to disposal, and the role of various stakeholders in creating a sustainable solution. Key Topics CoveredIntroduction to Kelly Thornber:Kelly discusses her background and how she became interested in pharmaceutical pollution while working in Bangladesh.Her journey into sustainability and how her department is driving change within the company. Understanding Pharmaceutical Pollution:The importance of addressing pharmaceutical pollution and its impact on public and environmental health.The complexity of the pharmaceutical system and the need for a systems-based approach to mitigate risks. The Role of the Pharma Pollution Hub:Kelly’s work with the Pharma Pollution Hub and their efforts to advocate for changes in the pharmaceutical industry.The need for independent facilitation and oversight to drive meaningful change. Identifying Intervention Points:The 37 intervention points identified in Kelly’s paper and the importance of starting with actionable steps.The role of stakeholders in implementing these interventions and the need for collaboration.Notable Quotes"Pharmaceuticals are designed to be biologically active, and that means they can have physiological effects in non-target species." - Kelly Thornber"We need to take a systems approach to address the complex issue of pharmaceutical pollution." - Kelly ThornberResources MentionedPharma Pollution Hub: Pharma Pollution Hub WebsitePharmaceutical Pollution Paper: Read the PaperCall to ActionShare your thoughts: What role should the pharmaceutical industry play in addressing pollution? Connect with Frederik on LinkedIn to share your insights.Subscribe and Share: Help spread the word about sustainable healthcare by subscribing to the podcast and sharing this episode with your network.Host: Frederik Dam van Deurs Guest: Kelly Thornber, Researcher and Advocate for Pharmaceutical Pollution

    39 min
  8. 097 - Visualizing Circular Healthcare: A Taxonomy for Sustainable Medical Device Flows

    Jan 29

    097 - Visualizing Circular Healthcare: A Taxonomy for Sustainable Medical Device Flows

    Guest: Tamara, PhD Candidate at TU Delft, Department of Sustainable Design Engineering Episode Summary In this episode of the Sustainable Healthcare Podcast, host Frederik Dam van Deurs welcomes Tamara, a researcher and entrepreneur specializing in circular economy principles for healthcare. Tamara shares her groundbreaking work on the Visual Taxonomy of Circular Healthcare Flows (CHF), a comprehensive map designed to guide sustainable decision-making for medical devices from design to end-of-life. Key Topics Covered The Visual Taxonomy of Circular Healthcare FlowsTamara introduces her visual taxonomy, which maps out circular economy strategies for medical devices. The taxonomy is designed to clarify the often-confusing terminology (e.g., "reuse" vs. "recycling") and provide actionable pathways for sustainability.Visual Reference: Visual Taxonomy of Circular Healthcare Flows (CHF) Misconceptions in Circular Economy TerminologyTamara highlights common misunderstandings, such as the difference between "reuse" and "recycling," and the healthcare-specific term "reprocessing." She emphasizes the importance of clarity in communication to avoid unintended environmental impacts. Real-World Example: Laparoscopic StaplerUsing a laparoscopic stapler as a case study, Tamara walks through the taxonomy’s steps: Refuse (questioning the need for the device), Rethink (designing multifunctional devices), Reduce (minimizing material use), and Reuse/Recycle (extending product life through maintenance, repair, or reprocessing). Barriers to Circularity in HealthcarePerceived vs. Actual Safety: The tendency to prioritize perceived safety over evidence-based sustainability, leading to overuse of single-use devices and excessive waste.Logistical Challenges: The complexity of sorting and collecting devices, especially in hospitals with limited space and resources.Regulatory Hurdles: Differences in regulations between the EU and the US, such as the reprocessing of single-use devices. Innovations and Hope for the FutureTamara shares her work on a patient-friendly alternative to the traditional vaginal speculum, designed to reduce pain and improve accessibility. She also discusses her optimism about collaborations among medical device manufacturers to drive systemic change.Notable Quotes "The number one barrier is the difference between actual safety and perceived safety. People want to do well in healthcare, but this can lead to unintended environmental consequences.""We need to ask: Do we really need this device? Can we refuse, rethink, or reduce before we even start producing?""Sterilization is not always necessary - sometimes high-level disinfection is enough, and that can significantly reduce environmental impact."Resources Mentioned Visual Taxonomy of Circular Healthcare Flows (CHF): View the VisualCall to Action Share your thoughts: What circular economy strategies have you seen in healthcare? Connect with Frederik on LinkedIn to share your insights. Subscribe and Share: Help spread the word about sustainable healthcare by subscribing to the podcast and sharing this episode with your network.Host: Frederik Dam van Deurs Guest: Tamara, PhD Candidate, TU Delft

    38 min
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Learn the dos and don'ts of green innovation from experienced industry leaders. Your hosts are Frederik Dam van Deurs and Joachim Almdal.

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  • Creator
    Care Pathway Consulting Aps
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    107
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Care Pathway Consulting Aps
  • Show Website
    The Sustainable Healthcare Podcast