What makes a conference valuable? At the 8th Nordic Conference on Sustainable Healthcare in Malmö, it was the combination of an engaging programme, new connections and opportunities to exchange ideas about how healthcare can become more sustainable in practice.
Held on 1 October 2026 as part of Sustainable Healthcare Week, the conference brought together more than 250 participants from across healthcare, industry, academia, the public sector and international organisations. Their reflections highlight the importance of creating spaces where different perspectives can meet around a shared challenge: how do we make healthcare more sustainable?
Connecting people across sectors and borders
Several participants highlighted the value of meeting new people and building connections with others working towards more sustainable healthcare.
As one participant reflected, the day offered opportunities to make exciting new connections and have valuable conversations with people working on sustainability across Scandinavian healthcare.
Others emphasised the international perspective, with participants and collaborators from across Europe and beyond, including the EU Commission, India, Canada and the UK.
Bringing together this range of expertise and experience creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, discover new approaches and build collaborations that extend beyond individual organisations and countries.
Turning ideas into practical change
The conversations also focused on how sustainability can be translated into everyday healthcare operations.
One participant highlighted the value of returning home with new insights into what the healthcare sector needs and how sustainable solutions can fit into day-to-day hospital operations.
This connection between ideas and implementation is essential. Making healthcare more sustainable requires collaboration between those developing solutions and those working to implement them in hospitals and healthcare systems.
Continuing the conversation beyond Malmö
At Nordic Center for Sustainable Healthcare (NCSH), bringing together stakeholders and creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration are central to our work.
The reflections from Malmö are a reminder that progress towards more sustainable healthcare depends not only on individual solutions, but also on the connections, conversations and shared learning that help move them forward.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Malmö and contributed to the 8th Nordic Conference on Sustainable Healthcare and Sustainable Healthcare Week 2026.
We look forward to building on the connections and ideas from this year and welcoming you back in 2027. In the meantime, let's continue the conversation and shape the future of sustainable healthcare together.
