November 2024 - Sustainable Femtech Network Newsletter
Medical and healthcare plastics treaty push | Plastic-eating mushrooms | Material safety in Sextech | Lots of news about knickers
Welcome to the Sustainable Femtech Network Newsletter, November 2024 edition!
This month we’re deep-diving into the link between climate and health, with a bumper section on climate and health research and reporting.
You may also spot an underwear theme in this issue. Trust us, that is just the way the cards fell and was in no way an editorial decision from the SFN team…but we are enjoying it.
🗞️ News
📨 Health Care Without Harm’s open letter urges negotiators of the Global Plastic Treaty to give special emphasis to the reduction, reuse and redesign of plastics in the health sector. The Lancet have also highlighted the importance of healthcare plastic being included in the Global Plastics Treaty.
🫧 A UK hospital trust has helped to pioneer ground-breaking technology that makes the use of ‘gas and air’, given as pain relief to women in labour, safe for the environment.
🌊 Japanese scientists have developed a new type of eco-friendly plastic that fully degrades in seawater. Potential applications range from durable, scratch-resistant materials to flexible, silicone-like options, that could be suitable for medical, healthtech and 3D printing uses.
🏆Great to see that the finalists for the INDA Hygienex Innovation Awards had two nominations with sustainability at their heart! Harper Hygienics S.A for their hemp based sanitary pad and HIRO Technologies, Inc who won the prize for their MycoDigestible™ diapers - the world’s first diaper featuring plastic-eating mushrooms.
🎉 Congratulations also to Underwear for Humanity who are finalists for two awards from SustainabilityTracker.com - the Emerging Champion Award and the Circularity Award.
🩲 Reusable period underwear brand Modibodi are expanding retail distribution ‘down under’ (pun intended) through a new partnership with WHSmith Australia.
🌏 Climate x Health Research
COP29 has been across the news, with mixed reporting. The “COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health - Health is the argument for climate change.” was launched at the event, with some impactful points on why health is a powerful argument for climate action. Read the full report or the summary.
Call for evidence: Climate change and mental health
UKHSA is creating a thematic report detailing the impacts of climate change on mental health in the UK. There is an open call for evidence. If you've something you’ve been working on in the area, fill in this form before 17th of January 2025.
Report: The Lancet Countdown 2024
The Lancet Countdown 2024 have published a visualisation tracking progress on health and climate change. We encourage you to have a look and share, it makes the link between ongoing climate change and health issues starkly apparent.
Research: Sustainable menstrual health solutions
Two new papers published this month explore menstrual waste management and reuse:
Research: Heat exposure and pregnancy outcomes
A systematic review has examined evidence around heat-related adverse impacts on pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
A second systematic review, available as a preview via Nature Medicine, looked at heat exposure impacts on maternal, foetal and neonatal health.
Meanwhile, The Conversation give an interesting big picture perspective on women and climate change. They argue that a low carbon transition requires an expansive view of justice that includes a feminist perspective.
🎟️ Events
ONLINE MDMC - How can we improve sustainability in medical device development?- 11:00am - 12:00pm 10th December 2024
ONLINE ACTION Innovation Network - Winter Roundtable (Servicing Labs and Recycling Models for Medical Plastics) - 3:30pm - 5:00pm (GMT), 10th December 2024
ONLINE ReMed (Circular Economy for Small Medical Devices) Workshop on sustainability and small medical device solutions in healthcare - 1:00pm - 2:00pm (GMT), 2nd December 2024
📚 Resources
READ - A revealing interview with OhMyV GMbH’s Katie Payne and Vivien D. LaFleur of Xia Pleasure Objects about material safety in sexual wellness products and how female founders are reshaping the industry.
WATCH - Webinar "Reducing and Diverting Plastic Waste in Bio-Medical Laboratories and Facilities"
WATCH - “What do periods have to do with health and climate justice?” WEN Forum for Environmenstrual Week Panel Discussion and Q&A
💸 Funding and Opportunities
UKRI Future Economy loans for UK innovation projects with strong commercial potential
The WinWin Gothenburg Sustainability Award’s theme for 2025 is Trailblazing Leadership.
L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Programme helps young female researchers to pursue their scientific careers at home or abroad.
OHT Fellows work to create approaches, solutions and resource to improve diversity in healthtech.
🙋🏻♀️ Jobs
Healthcare Without Harm
Climate Program Manager (Latin America)
Health Professional Networks Lead
Content Strategy Manager
UCL/Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change
Head of Operations
Regional Centre Director (Africa)
👋🏻
That’s all for this month!
If you have a story you would like to share, email hello@sustainablefemtech.net and tell us your news!