This groundbreaking new research project is taking on PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’, in the healthcare sector. These harmful substances are major environmental pollutants because they hardly break down in nature. Phasing them out is crucial for both human health and the planet. Shockingly, around 37% of PFAS pollution is estimated to come from the medical sector—making hospitals and healthcare facilities key areas for action.

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration

Kolk’s area of expertise includes organisations and sustainability, sustainable development and corporate responsibility. In this project, her longstanding experience in interdisciplinary research has helped to co-create key focal areas for study. This will also involve non-academic stakeholders and PFAS experts. Besides furthering this transdisciplinary approach to enable cross-fertilisation, Kolk contributes knowledge about organisational, sector and supply chain transformations. She will also provide insights based on her expertise in sustainable business models, policies and standards in the Netherlands and abroad.

Living lab

Despite widespread use in healthcare, it is still not really clear where, when, and how PFAS are used. To obtain insights, the project focuses on Amsterdam UMC as ‘living lab’. This means that the research will map which medical products contain PFAS, assess whether they are truly essential, and explore so-called safe-and-sustainable by design alternatives if phasing out is not possible (yet).

Shaping the future of healthcare

The insights from this project will do more than just identify the problem. They will help uncover knowledge gaps and barriers that currently stand in the way of removing PFAS in the healthcare sector. This research will lay the foundation for systemic change in healthcare and global supply chains, pushing industries and organisations toward safer and more sustainable solutions. In this way, the project contributes to a healthier future, and inform next steps for decisionmakers and researchers.

Funding

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) has provided a Midsize Grant to conduct this research. The UvA encourages collaboration between disciplines on complex societally relevant themes. To stimulate this type of research, the UvA theme-based collaboration programme offers grants for interdisciplinary research projects falling within four specific themes that are important for the university: Responsible Digital Transformations, Healthy Future, Fair and Resilient Societies, and Sustainable Prosperity. The PFAS project contributes to both the Sustainable Prosperity and the Healthy Future themes.