With the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, we can see that the behaviors of many people have changed for the better. After having been more or less forced to live more sustainably, the Green Response Survey shows that people are keen to keep these habits as we move towards a ‘new normal’. How do we make sure that these new habits stick? What can big companies do to not only encourage people to live a greener life, but to give them the means necessary? And is sustainability really a...

When the pandemic hit the world, most of society came to a halt. But not our demand for goods, especially hygiene goods. All along the supply chain it became just like Christmas season overnight. But not in a good way. A demand usually planned and prepared for months in advance, now had to be met in a day. In this episode, we look behind the curtains and meet the men and women making sure the shelves are fully stocked even in unprecedented times. We also look into how smart innovations pave...

Antibiotics are one of the most important types of antibacterial agents for fighting bacterial infections. However, Sir Alexander Fleming – who discovered penicillin, the world's first antibiotic – warned the world that misuse of antibiotics would possibly lead to resistant bacterias. Today, we know he was right. A fight we cannot afford to lose is occurring right now. In this episode we look into how wound prevention and skincare can save lives and help in the battle against resistant...

The pandemic has affected us all, and age has proven to be a distinctive risk factor. Over the past year, the need for change in elderly care has become clear. In this episode, we explore how new and digitized healthcare technology transforms elderly care on a global scale. Specifically regarding continence care. Nurses and care giving relatives share first hand perspectives on how this, rarely spoken about, topic affects both patients and caregivers, and how next generation healthcare...

For decades, despite representing half of the population, women and women's health has been seen as nische and very much disregarded within health research. Investor’s have put their capital elsewhere and around the globe, women have suffered quietly in common diseases. But things have started to change. Over the last years,  female-focused tech startups designed to support women's health have entered the health care stage. It has become clear – the future is femtech.

How can interpreting data keep people hygienic? In a time of never before seen hygienic awareness, smart and data driven machines like Tork EasyCube® are working with us to ensure safer and more efficient handling of hygiene supplies and cleaning processes.

In 2021, “circularity” is a buzzword and 46 % of people say that they consider the product’s environmental effect when purchasing hygiene products. But to reach this level of awareness has taken time. A lot of modern ideas, such as the circular product Tork PaperCircle, were first introduced at the 1994 Winter Olympic in Lillehammer – now known as the first green games. A reality today, but it took time for the Tork PaperCircle to catch on. Why? What has changed since 1994, and is it possible...

In the second season of Essential Talks we shed light on the innovations changing health and hygiene. We show why there are still reasons to be optimistic, despite the challenges facing people, patients, and society today.

Season finale. So far, we’ve talked about COVID-19 as well as stigmas revolving menstruation, incontinence and hand hygiene. In the final episode of the season, we dive into the world of toilets. Finding an accessible and clean bathroom can be a challenge. And even if we find one, it is not something we usually are longing to use since public toilets are often associated with poor hygiene standards. Shouldn’t accessible and clean toilets be a fundamental human right?

Hand hygiene has been on everyone’s mind this year and we are more than ever aware of our hands. In fact, 68% of us have changed the way we wash our hands due to the spread of COVID-19. In this episode, we travel back to Vienna in 1847 to get acquainted with obstetrician Ignaz Semmelweis – known as the father of hand hygiene. We also discuss the future of the handshake.

Did you know that over 400 million people are affected by incontinence? Probably not, since we don’t speak about it. But if those people would be the citizens of a country, it would be the third most populated country in the world – far bigger than the U.S. This needs to change. It’s time to start speaking about leaking.

Every day around 800 million women across the world are on their period. Still, menstruation is one of the biggest taboos when it comes to health and hygiene. For example, girls and women are refraining from going to school and work because of matters connected to their menstruation. How do we break this barrier?

It’s 2015. Bill Gates stands in front of an audience saying “There’s no need to panic. We don’t have to hoard cans and spaghetti or go down to the basement. But we need to get going because time is not on our side. If we start now, we can be ready for the next epidemic.” It’s 2020. The next epidemic is here. People are hoarding. Why? And could the world really have been ready for the COVID-19?

This podcast is all about breaking barriers to well-being and shedding light on stigmas regarding health and hygiene–and how to counter them. We talk with people who have experienced these stigmas and experts all over the world about subjects such as incontinence, menstruation and hand hygiene.