The Care Cycle

In the Netherlands, healthcare accounts for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Care Cycle is a short film that highlights the environmental impact of healthcare by following the "life cycle" of plastic hospital gowns, from oil extraction to disposal / afterlife. Through observational imagery and a poetic voiceover, The Care Cycle traces the geographies of materials across manufacturing, use, and disposal, refiguring the infrastructure of the hospital and medical equipment as embedded in planetary systems.

Gowns made far away are worn for a moment,
disposed after a single use.
But what is thrown away, does not go away.
It moves, it accumulates, it stays with us.
Leaving harmful residues of plastic and toxic chemicals,
drifting into air and seeping into earth, rivers, and bodies.

Where art meets science

The film combines the scientific method of life cycle assessment with the observational and emotional art of filmmaking. Produced in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare at Amsterdam UMC, the project contributes to broader efforts to embed environmental accountability within healthcare and systems design. The Care Cycle premiered as a video installation and screening at Dutch Design Week, October 19-26 2025.

A film and installation by Eleni Vrettakou and Leidy Karina Gómez Montoya
Produced by Lucy Sabin and Florine de Haes
Written by Lucy Sabin, Florine de Haes, Eleni Vrettakou, and Karina Gómez Montoya

Thanks to The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, Amsterdam Public Health Institute, RE4GREEN (Horizon Europe)