ICN makes plea to reduce use of plastic in healthcare

​The International Council of Nurses said it was supporting 48 million health professionals around the world in demanding inclusion of healthcare in global plastic treaty.

“Every day, nurses witness the harms caused by plastic overuse and pollution to both human and planetary health”

José Luis Cobos Serrano

This week, discussions have commenced in Geneva, Switzerland, to finalise a major global treaty designed to help end plastic pollution.

In an open letter to the International Negotiation Committee for a Plastics Treaty, the ICN pledged commitments to limit plastic use and protect all people from plastic-related health hazards.

The ICN was one of 65 healthcare organisations that have signed the letter, which called on the treaty negotiators to end plastic pollution, including in the health sector.

Previous drafts of the treaty have exempted the healthcare industry from resolutions to decrease plastic waste and promote sustainability across product life cycles, including waste disposal.

But those behind the letter argue that the exemption is unhelpful and will limit innovation and sustainable practice in healthcare, which should instead lead the way in protecting human and planetary health.

Others signatories are Health Care Without Harm, the California Nurses for Environmental Health and Justice, the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment and the US National League for Nursing.

The UK was represented on the letter by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Faculty of Public Health.

The letter stated: “Plastics have become ubiquitous in healthcare, with a dramatic shift towards single-use items in recent decades.

“However, many non-essential uses of plastics in the health sector can be eliminated, including non-medical applications,” it said. “Essential uses of plastics can often be detoxified and designed for reuse.”

Commenting on his support for the letter, ICN president Dr José Luis Cobos Serrano said: “Every day, nurses witness the harms caused by plastic overuse and pollution to both human and planetary health.”

Dr Serrano highlighted that many chemicals existing in plastics were associated with issues such as respiratory problems and chronic illnesses, particularly affecting vulnerable populations.

By signing the letter, the ICN said it had called for a robust treaty that fully recognises the health harms of plastic pollution and was committed to providing measures to reduce unnecessary plastic use.

The council stated that it aimed to promote the transition toward more sustainable solutions, including in the health sector, with a significant focus on its needs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also an advocated for removing the full exemption for healthcare from the treaty.

Instead, the WHO has called for healthcare to receive special consideration in the treaty, to allow the sector to develop and promote effective, affordable alternatives that prioritise patient safety and sustainability.

Dr Serrano said: “The health sector must lead by example, not exemption, by promoting a just and viable transition to environmentally-friendly practices.

“Nurses are the world’s largest healthcare profession, they deeply understand the connections between climate and health, they are highly trusted in their communities, and they are already accelerating climate-focused solutions in health care.

“It is time to elevate nurses’ voices in global environmental policy and support them as leaders in creating a sustainable health sector and a sustainable world.”

Dr Serrano cited a recent ICN position statement that warned that the climate crisis was the “single greatest health threat facing humanity, with profound implications for human health and well-being”.

ICN chief executive Howard Catton added: “The health sector has both the responsibility and opportunity to take the lead on sustainability.

“Nurses are deeply committed to values of social and environmental justice and to addressing the climate crisis,” he said.

Mr Catton said that the ICN had joined with the other signatories to advocate for no “blanket exemption of healthcare in the treaty on plastic pollution”.

Instead, he said that the treaty should include special consideration of the health sector, stating: “Protecting human health must go hand in hand with protecting the health of our planet.”