Webinar | Phasing out PVC in healthcare: Are we there yet?

On 3 June 2026, Health Care Without Harm Europe and Health and Environment Justice (HEJ) Support hosted a webinar exploring progress, challenges, and opportunities in phasing out PVC in healthcare, as part of the PVC-free healthcare project. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) remains widely used in medical devices and hospital products, despite concerns that it can release hazardous additives that may pose risks to patients, healthcare workers, and the environment. Encouragingly, hospitals across Europe and beyond are increasingly transitioning to safer alternatives. Yet important questions remain: how close are we to achieving PVC-free healthcare, and what actions are still needed to accelerate progress? Bringing together experts from science, policy, and healthcare practice, this webinar examined the latest evidence, current policy developments, and real-world implementation experiences. This project is funded by UBA/BMUKN (German Federal Environment Agency, and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety). The funds are made available by resolution of the German Bundestag. The publisher is responsible for the content of this publication. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.