Last week, more than 150 frontrunners from the healthcare and water sectors gathered in Brussels for the inspiring event "2 jaar Green Deal Duurzame Zorg". The Green Deal, unique in its cross-sector approach, aims to bridge healthcare and environmental responsibility - with a strong focus on pharmaceuticals in water.
Through interactive sessions and presentations, participants explored innovative solutions and collaborations to reduce the ecological footprint of healthcare. Among the topics:
- How a prioritisation tool helps healthcare institutions prevent pharmaceutical residues from entering the environment – with contributions from VMM and UGent researchers.
- Reusing rainwater in hospitals, shared by Pieter-Jan De Buyck (VITO).
- Sustainable procurement as a driver of system change, presented by OVAM.
- Innovative tools and real-world examples tackling pharmaceuticals in water, led by Dirk Halet (VITO Kennispunt Water) and emergency physician Brecht De Tavernier, founder of Net Zero Healthcare Impact.
One of the highlights of the plenary session was a closer look at PREWAPHARM, the new Interreg North-West Europe project. PREWAPHARM aims to reduce pharmaceutical pollution in water by acting at the source, through smarter prescriptions, better patient engagement and decentralised wastewater treatment technologies.
The project exemplifies the value of international cooperation, building on strong regional initiatives like Schone Waterlopen (Interreg Flanders–Netherlands), and bringing stakeholders together across borders to protect both human and environmental health.
A big thank you to the organisers and leaders of the event, including Sofie Desmet and Erwin Daenen from the Department of Care, and Peter Raeymaekers from Zorgnet-Icuro.
This update is based on a LinkedIn post by VITO, one of PREWAPHARM’s project partners. Read the original post here.
