World Kidney Day has always been a moment to reflect on prevention, care and equity.

In 2026, for the KitNewCare project, it also becomes a moment of responsibility.

Kidney care is life-saving, but it is also resource-intensive. Dialysis alone consumes vast amounts of water, energy and materials. The question is no longer whether healthcare must respond to climate change. The question is how fast we can transform it, without compromising quality of care.

To mark World Kidney Day 2026 (12 March), KitNewCare partners across Europe are hosting a dedicated series of webinars designed to explore exactly that: how to make kidney care environmentally sustainable, economically responsible and socially fair, in practice (not just in principle).

Over one week, we move from vision to implementation, from innovation to patient voice, from technology to education.

Programme

🗓 12 March 2026 – 10:00 CET

“Sustainable Kidney Care: From Vision to Practice”

🔗 Registration

Sustainability in healthcare is often discussed at a strategic level. But what does it truly take to embed it in everyday clinical settings?

This opening session examines the contextual factors that determine whether sustainability becomes part of routine practice or remains an aspiration. It explores leadership, governance, culture and system-level enablers — the conditions that allow sustainable kidney care to move from concept to operational reality.

Speaker:

• Daniel Eriksson, CEO, Nordic Center for Sustainable Healthcare

🗓 17 March 2026 – 11:00 CET

“Optimising Kidney Care Pathways: From Insight to Implementation”

🔗 Registration

How do kidney centres make sustainable change happen?

This webinar will explore the journey of planning and implementing sustainable change, with two of the KitNewCare clinical partner sites sharing their real-world experiences of optimising kidney care pathways. From mapping current practice and engaging frontline teams, to embedding changes into everyday care, the session highlights practical lessons, enablers, and transferable insights for any kidney service.

Speaker:

• Dr Zuzanna Jakubowska, Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny (WUM)
• Giuseppe Di Chiaro, Ph.D Researcher, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE)
• Harriet Attwell-Rogers, KitNewCare Project Manager – Organisational and Workflow Optimisations, Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

🗓 18 March 2026 – 10:00 CET

“Green Dialysis Technologies: Innovations and Pathways Forward”

🔗 Registration

Dialysis is both indispensable and environmentally demanding. Can innovation reshape this reality?

This webinar explores technological solutions aimed at reducing water consumption, waste production and carbon footprint in dialysis treatment. It will examine how emerging technologies — when paired with systemic thinking — can significantly lower environmental impact.

Speakers:

• Karin Gerritsen, Associate professor (UMC Utrecht)
• Tibo Verburg, MSc

🗓 19 March 2026 – 16:00 CET

“Sustainable Kidney Care: Listening to Patients in Times of Climate Change”

🔗 Registration

Sustainability cannot exist without listening.

Climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including people living with chronic kidney disease. This session shifts the focus toward patient experience, exploring how environmental sustainability intersects with quality of care, equity and access.

Speaker:

• Paulo Zoio, Policy Officer, Portuguese Directorate General for Energy and Geology
• Rajmund Michalski, Professor, Institute of Environmental Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Zabrze

23 March 2026 – 16:00 CET

“Teach Yourself Sustainable Kidney Care”

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Knowledge is the foundation of change.

This closing session introduces the updated Sustainable Kidney Care learning modules, developed to build capacity across Europe. These educational resources empower healthcare professionals to identify environmental hotspots, apply sustainability principles and actively contribute to climate-neutral healthcare systems.

Speakers:

• Furat Al-Murani (Centre for Sustainable Healthcare)
• Stefi Barna (Centre for Sustainable Healthcare)

A Broader Transformation

Through this World Kidney Day series, KitNewCare demonstrates that sustainability in kidney care is not a separate agenda, it is inseparable from quality, efficiency and equity.

The programme reflects the project’s integrated approach:

• Identifying environmental, social and economic hotspots
• Testing and validating technological and organisational innovations
• Developing benchmarking tools
• Building a sustainability piloting network
• Strengthening capacity across Europe

World Kidney Day 2026 becomes more than a campaign. It becomes a collective step towards reshaping how kidney care is delivered in a changing climate.

We invite healthcare professionals, administrators, policymakers, industry representatives, researchers and patient advocates to take part in this conversation, and in this transformation.

Because sustainable kidney care is no longer optional. It is the future.