October 2024 - Sustainable Femtech Network Newsletter
Strawberry punnets' new life as tampon dispensers | Healthcare circularity roadmap | Up to £3M funding for health and climate innovations
Welcome to the Sustainable Femtech Network newsletter, October 2024 edition!
🗞️ News
🍓 DAME launches tampon dispensers from recycled strawberry punnets.
🥾 LU Innovations have launched their first product, a complete resuable menstrual care and cleaning solution designed for travel and ‘remote adventures’.
♻️ Envetec and Enva have agreed a strategic collaboration that will allow for easier recycling and treatment of biohazardous waste materials for healthcare and life science organisations.
🛣️ Aimed at encouraging sustainable innovation, a new roadmap released by the UK government will help to improve circularity and cut down on single-use waste in the NHS and wider healthcare sector.
🐚 Congratulations to Periwinkle Technologies who have been shortlisted for the Zayed Sustainability Prize, for their portable, AI-enabled cervical cancer screening device
🍆 YourChoice Therapeutics are advancing development of their hormone-free male birth control pills as they move to onto a second human study. (We say the more choices the better when it comes to birth control, while hormone-free options can reduce impacts on water systems).
💸 Great to see three UK-based Women’s Health Startups join Morgan Stanley’s inclusive ventures lab. Two of these, Ovum and Hanx offer products with an emphasis on sustainability.
🗑️ Aunt Flow have launched a system for the easy and safe disposal of sanitary and incontinence products in the US. Their simple solution could save tonnes of pads, tampons and other waste from being flushed and polluting water systems.
🌿 Meanwhile, Daye have launched new regenerative hemp pad and Papaya have received FDA clearance for their blood-coagulating, compostable menstrual pads.
📣 In the US, the FDA has launched an independent review on the possible effects of toxic metals found in tampons, while in the UK the Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) has launched a campaign calling for a Menstrual Health, Dignity, and Sustainability Act. You can add your voice to the campaign here.
🌎 Climate x Health Research
Climate Change’s Impact on Health Care Workers
A review by a team in Canada looking at the impacts of climate change on health system workforces has highlighted themes such as occupational health impacts, burn-out and psychosocial impacts, and adaptive strategies including preparing and planning for emergencies, and providing support.
Plastics in Your Urinary Tract? Not So Fantastic.
A scoping review has found micro-plastics in 54% of human urine samples, 68% of bladder cancer cases and 70% of kidney samples.
🔮 Future Focus
Looking into our crystal ball, we see a future where reducing carbon emissions while making healthcare more accessible and personalised is universal, ubiquitous...common place. Ok, you don't need to be a psychic to know that virtual healthcare and remote monitoring have gone from strength to strength. But what is of note is that the emphasis on sustainable strategies has never been stronger, and both investors and governments are starting to see virtual care as a golden opportunity to hit those ambitious net-zero targets while meeting healthcare and economic goals.
These innovations aren’t just about better health outcomes; they’re also a major eco-upgrade compared to traditional methods— reducing unnecessary visits and carbon emissions from travel. Healthcare systems are increasingly pushing for sustainable procurement, embracing virtual solutions and smart monitoring tech. In the UK, monitoring technology in social care could save 1.2bn, while the NHS is fully embracing digital healthtech and has announced plans to roll out smart watches and wearable tech to help patients monitor their health, while contributing to NHS net zero targets.
Investors are also recognising the need to align healthcare delivery with sustainable virtual strategies. In recent months, Bloomlife have secured 12.2M to advance their remote maternal care platform and Pomelo Care have raised 46M for virtual maternal and newborn health. Midi Health have raised 60M for virtual perimenopause and menopause care, while Doccla have secured 35M to expand their presence across Europe, which includes partnerships with the NHS and Irish government (both sticklers for sustainable procurement).
For femtech companies developing virtual and remote monitoring solutions, weaving sustainability into your story is the way forward. Combining sustainability with health and economic impacts offers a smart strategy to align with forward-thinking investors and healthcare procurement systems.
🎟️ Events
ONLINE | Climate and Health Financing: The Current Conversation and a Model for Application | 30th October 2024 - 9am EDT (13:00 GMT)
ONLINE | Design for Planet Festival | 6th November 2024
London UK | London Climate Technology Show 2024 | 27th - 28th November 2024
Cambridge UK| Biohackathon.xyz | 29th November 2024
📚 Resources
MEASURE YOUR IMPACT - Seaweed x femtech innovators Vyld have released a case study based on their own use of the Sustainable Development Performance Indicator. This online platform created by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) helps social enterprises track their progress towards their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is recognized by the OECD - OCDE as a key resource for social impact measurement. This would be a great jumping off point for other sustainable femtech companies - let us know if you’ve used it!
LISTEN - Podcast interview with Ruby Raut, the founder and CEO of WUKA, about building a sustainability-focused, leak-proof period underwear brand.
LISTEN - DAME founder Alec Mills on trying to tackle the problem of plastic waste in the menstrual health industry.
READ - An interview with Susie Hewson, founder of Natracare, on Femtech, health and the environment.
SHORT READ - ‘The Vital Link Between Clean Water Access and Women’s Health’ – a reminder of the importance of innovation for addressing basic health needs.
💰 Funding and Opportunities
The Wellcome Trust has announced a climate and mental health funding award, offering £1-3million per project. Application deadline is 21st January 2025. (Interested in collaborating with us? Get in touch!)
Applications are open for Sustainable Healthcare Academy’s next intake starting January 2025. Insight sessions every Tuesday in November and December.
Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award Is your company making sustainability a priority? Can you demonstrate project innovation, economic impact, and long-term sustainable impact? Enter the Irish Medtech Awards to be in with a chance of attending and winning at #MedtechRising.
Health Innovation Hub Ireland has opened a call for GreenTech in Healthcare. Are you a company, researcher or institution with an innovative, sustainable and scalable healthcare solution? Applications close on the 15th of November.
Health Care Without Harm is seeking candidates for two fully remote consultant positions for their global communications team.
👋🏻
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!