Just like companies in other industries, healthcare organizations face a plethora of choices when deciding how to embrace and implement sustainability projects and programs, including which to do first and before others.
To gauge the possibilities and potential opportunities, Healthcare Purchasing News surveyed more than a dozen company executives in the sustainability space, offering them 13 designated sustainability strategies and tactics from which to choose as targets to be implemented at healthcare provider organizations or for healthcare provider organizations to require of their product and service suppliers via the contracting process. HPN also included an “Other” option for executives to specify something generally not included in the list of choices.
HPN lists below the options in order of their acceptance and importance as indicated by responding executives.
HPN then asked participating executives to select their top three choices to recommend providers implement first, along with proffering reasons why. Those insights follow the overall list of options.
1. Conserving/reducing energy and resource consumption, including (but not limited to) electricity, fuels and water
2. Reducing material waste, including the disposal of new and unused but expired products and the disposal of soiled/used products
3. Reprocessing/reusing products when and where appropriate via approved/regulated procedures for safety and security (and legality)
4. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products
5. Reducing chemicals of concern in the products themselves as well as the manufacturing process (e.g., PVC, DEHP, etc.) – or at least contracting with those suppliers/vendors who do this
6. Calling for more detailed information on product labeling that identifies components and raw materials to facilitate more sustainable sourcing decisions
7. Recycling appropriate/relevant consumable materials, including certain plastics, paper, corrugated cardboard, etc.
8. Recycling (versus disposing) of equipment, furniture, mattresses, etc.
9. Incorporating climate/environmental awareness in all building/construction/renovation projects
10.Reducing the variety of packaging materials used in freight/shipping containers of all sizes
11.Developing a database that tracks and traces sustainability efforts vs. achievements and records standardized progress
12.Relying more on local/regional suppliers/vendors for products and services, which will reduce cross-country/cross-ocean transportation emissions globally
13.Farming and growing your own food and nutritional resources
14.“Other” relevant suggested options include:
• Establishing standardized “total cost of use” models to better inform the industry and healthcare providers of opportunities to reduce waste and costs
• Reducing excess supplies by transferring, selling, or donating products
• Understanding the climate impacts and embodied carbon emissions of all purchased goods/prioritizing low embodied carbon products/purchasing.
• Setting science-based energy reduction targets
• Requesting and tracking carbon emissions of your organization and your suppliers to manage your carbon emissions including the majority of where emissions come from per scope 3 terms
Priorities to pursue
From the list above, responding sustainability experts give top priority to the following options.
2. Establish standard ‘total cost of use’ models to better inform the industry and providers and to push positive change forward
3. Recycling (versus disposing) of equipment, furniture, mattresses, etc. to reduce waste streams and encourage the industry to innovate production using recycled materials
Richard Radford, CEO, Cenorin LLC
2. Implement changes that reduce negative impacts on climate
3. Projects that improve community health and resiliency
Mary Starr, Chief Operating Officer, Greenhealth Exchange
1. Reprocessing/reusing products: “Reprocessing is arguably the most impactful environmental initiative in hospitals. Some hospitals reduce their carbon footprint by 2,000+ pounds CO2 equivalent per year only by reprocessing cardiology devices.”
3. Reducing chemicals of concern in the products themselves: “The manufacture of most medical devices and instruments take an enormous toll on the environment in terms of carbon emissions.”
Lars Thording, Vice President, Marketing & Public Affairs, Innovative Health
2. Incorporate climate/environmental awareness in all building/construction/renovation projects: “The building industry is responsible for nearly 40% of energy-related global greenhouse gas emissions, with the healthcare industry responsible for 4.4% of global carbon emissions. Climate change caused by human emissions has led to increased health problems worldwide, including cardiovascular problems, respiratory problems and insect-borne disease. As stewards of public health, the industry must reduce its environmental impact to reduce harm to human health. To do this, healthcare organizations can partner with vendors that prioritize sustainability in their supply chain and procurement efforts. By asking a vendor what their most aggressive sustainability goal is, you can start to identify which companies are taking these issues seriously and may be able to help you achieve your sustainability and public health goals.”
3. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products: “Given that purchasing is such an important part of sustainability, using contracts to lock in better pricing for products that support your organization’s mission and goals should be a high priority.”
Mikhail Davis, Director of Technical Sustainability, Interface
2. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products: “Medical suppliers are increasingly developing environmentally friendly products that better serve the environment without compromising patient care. I recommend putting the onus on your suppliers and inquire about their sustainable product offerings to discover items in their portfolio that can serve as a substitute for products currently being purchased that do not have sustainable characteristics. The more health systems can collaborate with their suppliers on their sustainability journey, the more innovation we’ll see in the space – ultimately helping healthcare sustainability professionals achieve their goals.”
Evelyn Miller, Senior Manager, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Medline Industries
1. Recycling (versus disposing) of equipment, furniture, mattresses: “Recycling your institution’s old mattress is relatively easy compared to some other recycling program. The Mattress Recycling Council will pick up your old mattress and transport them at no cost to you to a recycling facility. You will not pay a disposal fee nor any transportation costs. You may view it as low-hanging fruit or no-brainer recycling.
2. Conserving/reducing energy and resource consumption: “The Mattress Recycling Council recycles about 75% of all the components within a mattress. In the last six years, MRC has diverted more than 380 million pounds of steel, foam, fiber and wood from landfills and recycled these materials into new products.”
Joy Broussard, California Program and Logistics Coordinator, Mattress Recycling Council
2. Calling for more detailed information on product labeling that identifies components and raw materials to facilitate more sustainable sourcing decisions
3. Reducing chemicals of concern in the products
Rob Chase, Founder & CEO, NewGen Surgical Inc.
1. Conserving/reducing energy and resource consumption, including (but not limited to) electricity, fuels and water: “Conservation of energy and resources must hold a preeminent place in our planning. Cutting our consumption directly reduces our impact on the environment and lessens the need for further mitigation. Energy conservation also directly addresses a health system’s scope 1 and 2 emissions. Finally, efforts to reduce electricity usage at a particular facility can potentially avoid the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades as further draw is added to the facility’s footprint due to future electrification, e.g., vehicle charging, gas-to-electrical switching, etc.”
2. Incorporate climate/environmental awareness in all building/construction/renovation projects: “Environmental awareness during building/renovation, etc., goes hand-in-hand with energy and resource conservation. Health systems, guided by supply chain, should be setting ambitious energy and performance targets for new builds and renovations. Making this a priority right from the start will yield buildings that perform better and more cost effectively over their entire lifespan. Complying with today’s codes may not be enough, we need to build in a way that is future proofed against the rapid changes that we should expect over the next few years.”
3. Reducing chemicals of concern in the products themselves as well as the manufacturing process (e.g., PVC, DEHP, etc.) – or at least contracting with those suppliers/vendors who do this: “Elimination of toxics is always a priority. This protects not only our patients but also everyone that touches the product throughout its lifecycle, from production to disposal.”
Andrew Knox, Manager, Environmentally Preferred Products, Premier
1. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products
2. Reducing material waste, including the disposal of new and unused but expired products and the disposal of soiled/used products
3. Conserving/reducing energy and resource consumption, including (but not limited to) electricity, fuels
Andy Marshall, CEO, Sterilis Solutions
2. Reducing material waste: “Waste reduction is an area in which the industry will need to continue to create innovative solutions, including in the manufacturing of products. Stryker has invested heavily in additive (or 3-D) manufacturing, which has shown to create less waste.”
3. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products: “Packaging that considers recyclability, responsible materials and weight will become increasingly important, not only for long-term environmental sustainability but also for cost savings. It is also important to develop a system that tracks and traces sustainability efforts vs. achievements and records standardized progress: Implementation of this tracker for Environmentally Preferred Purchasing (EPP) programs and transparency with suppliers of the results will drive more accountability and engagement on the sustainable procurement journey.”
Eileen Buckley, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Stryker
2. Develop a database that tracks and traces sustainability efforts vs. achievements and records standardized progress.
3. Contracting for/investing in sustainably designed and/or manufactured products
“Any of the above sustainability initiatives are important to further improvements in human and environmental health. The key targets depend on organizational goals that may include: waste reduction, utilization of safer chemicals, carbon neutrality, transparency and more.
“Product transparency and visibility into product components is essential for purchasers. Purchasers should know what is included within the products being used for patient care. Many healthcare providers are prioritizing products that have a low carbon footprint, reduce or eliminate waste, or are made without harmful chemicals of concern, such as flame retardants and bisphenols which adversely affect human health. By prioritizing transparency into components, purchasers can select the products that further improvements in multiple areas, from safer chemicals to decreased carbon emissions. These selections, safer products purchased at increased rates, will signal to manufacturers to focus on sustainable criteria for the future.
“The lack of standardization is a top concern within sustainable procurement. Currently, many purchasers struggle to determine which products are more sustainable than others due to rampant greenwashing, wherein an organization makes untrue claims about the positive impact of its product or service on the environment, while suppliers may hesitate with sustainable product re-design efforts due to lack of clarity. Tracking which products, contracts and suppliers are environmentally preferred within a database improves efforts to manage sustainable procurement, benchmark against peers and partner with suppliers to battle climate change together. Sustainability in healthcare requires that providers, suppliers and group purchasers be at the table to move the needle towards a safer future. Data visibility and transparency should be a priority for all.
“Contracting for sustainably designed products is critical to signal purchasing priorities to supplier partners. This will ensure your supply partners know up front what your organizational priorities are and also showcase a heightened level of awareness by holding suppliers accountable to purchasing standards. A standardized contract template, which includes sustainable product and service criteria ensures various departments within an organization will all receive the safest and cleanest products for their patients, family members and providers.”
Cristina Indiveri, Associate Vice President, Strategic Programs and Contract Services, Vizient
2. Reducing chemicals of concern
3. Reprocessing/reusing products
Paul Murphy, Vice President, Major Accounts & Vertical Markets, Canon Solutions America Inc.
