As does any industry, healthcare has a carbon footprint, accounting for over 4% of global CO2 emissions. So we need health leaders the world over to strive for greater sustainability in the industry. The good news is that the sector is sitting up and taking notice. Reducing the environmental footprint of healthcare is becoming a key priority, with everything on the table from energy efficiency and water consumption to sustainable materials and supply chain emissions.
In 2022, what was believed to be the world’s first zero-carbon surgery took place in the UK, with doctors at Solihull Hospital carrying out a five-hour bowel cancer operation. They worked with Birmingham University to implement a host of sustainable changes. This involved reviewing everything electrical from air con to lighting, wearing reusable scrubs, and trialling a different way of administering the anaesthesia. The surgeons even swapped driving for cycling and running to work. The moral of the story? With thought and effort, it can be done.
Healthy planet, healthy people
Sustainable healthcare sits at the very heart of what we do at QuidelOrtho. Our sector’s guiding principles are all about healing, not harm, and we firmly believe that means the planet as well as its people.
We know that climate change has a heavy impact on human health. So we’re creating solutions that enable greener, more eco-friendly healthcare. Diagnostic equipment that needs a smaller blood sample for testing, creates less waste and produces a highly accurate result almost twice as fast. Analyzers that need no water and can be run anywhere. Better healthcare for people, and for our planet.