ICN joins 48 million health professionals calling for inclusion of health care in global plastics treaty

As negotiations to finalize a major global treaty to end plastic pollution begin this week, the International Council of Nurses has joined with Health Care Without Harm and major health groups to demand strong commitments to limit plastic use and protect all people from plastic-related health harms, with special considerations rather than exemptions for the health sector, in an open letter.

Previous drafts of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) treaty exempt the health care industry from resolutions to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability across product life cycles, including waste disposal. As the open letter states, this blanket exemption is counterproductive and would only limit innovation and sustainable practice in health care, which should instead lead the way in protecting human and planetary health. The World Health Organization (WHO) also supports removal of the full-scale exemption for health care and has instead called for health care to be afforded special consideration in the treaty, to enable the sector to develop and promote effective, affordable alternatives that prioritize patient safety as well as sustainability.

ICN President Dr José Luis Cobos Serrano commented:

“As outlined in ICN’s recent Position Statement and Topic Brief, climate change is the single greatest health threat facing humanity, with profound implications for human health and well-being.

‘Every day, nurses witness the harms caused by plastic overuse and pollution to both human and planetary health. Many of the chemicals in plastics contribute to issues including respiratory problems and chronic illnesses, with vulnerable populations especially at risk, and unsustainable plastic use and pollution is a major contributor to wider environmental degradation.

‘For these reasons, ICN is coming together with Health Care without Harm and other leading health groups to call for a strong treaty that fully recognizes the health harms of plastic pollution and commits to decisive measures to reduce unnecessary plastic use and move towards more sustainable solutions, including in the health sector, with special consideration for this sector’s needs. 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 health care 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.”

ICN CEO Howard Catton, reaffirmed that health care is a key part of the solution to plastic pollution and other environmental harms, adding:

“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. That’s why ICN has joined with the other signatories of this letter to advocate for no blanket exemption of health care in the treaty on plastic pollution and instead call for the treaty to include special consideration of the health sector. Protecting human health must go hand in hand with protecting the health of our planet.”