From Impact to Action: Greening Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is often viewed as a more sustainable alternative in kidney care — but how sustainable is it really?

Join us this month as we dive into the real environmental footprint of PD with two insightful sessions from the EU-funded KitNewCare project. From high-resolution Life Cycle Assessments to everyday innovations in Spanish clinics, this session will unpack what greener PD actually looks like in practice.

🧪 Talk 1 – Life Cycle of Peritoneal Dialysis: Mapping the Footprint

Speaker: James Larkin, PhD Researcher at Trinity College Dublin, is a design-led sustainability researcher working at the intersection of healthcare, systems thinking, and environmental analysis. With a background in Product Design and Technology, his PhD focuses on mapping and reducing the environmental footprint of kidney care.

His recent work includes a comprehensive LCA of PD treatment across multiple clinical settings, offering a clear picture of environmental hotspots and practical pathways for greener dialysis. Passionate about making data actionable, James collaborates with clinicians, engineers, and policymakers to advance sustainable innovations in nephrology.

🧪 Talk Summary:

In this session, we’ll unpack the full environmental footprint of peritoneal dialysis. Drawing on detailed LCA modelling, we’ll explore:

🌍 The carbon, water, and material impacts across the PD treatment pathway

📦 The outsized environmental role of procurement and packaging

🛠 Talk 2 – Greening PD: What We’ve Done, What’s Next

Speakers:

• Dr. Marina González de Rivera, Nephrologist at Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Madrid), leads the peritoneal dialysis programme at Fundación Jiménez Díaz (FJD). A key contributor to the KitNewCare project, Marina helped design the LCA model for PD and leads environmental improvements within her unit, including the use of incremental dialysis and conservative management.
• Dr. Blanca Tarragón, Nephrologist, joined the FJD Healthcare Research Institute after a clinical research fellowship at the Glomerular Center at Columbia University. At FJD she contributes to the implementation of sustainability interventions in nephrology and supports hospital-wide efforts toward a greener healthcare system.

💬 In this talk, Marina and Blanca will share:

🧪 Real-world interventions already implemented in their PD unit
🚧 Challenges and barriers to greener practices in clinical settings
🔍 Planned optimizations and reflections on feasibility in daily practice
 

💡 Whether you're a clinician, researcher, policymaker or sustainability advocate — this session is for you.