Samantha Alex Gordine’s Post

Environmental sustainability is extremely important for our present, and our future. Yet very little is being done across most industries, healthcare included. Here is an interesting read on Ethicon’s efforts to develop more sustainable products and practices, and how other companies can get started. #mycompany Vishnu Kalra

It's eye-opening to discover that Healthcare ranks as the 5th largest emitter globally! The potential for decarbonization in this sector is immense, especially considering the significant contribution of product supply chains to CO2 emissions. Embracing sustainability in procurement can propel the healthcare industry towards a net-zero future while fostering innovation.

🏥💚 Prescribing Sustainability: Hospital Waste Needs to be Addressed with Haste 💚🌿 I remember working as a volunteer at Maccabi Medical Center in Israel assisting various departments including Laboratory, Nursing, and Vaccinations. I routinely restocked the shelves in the morning when I soon began to notice each department had one thing in common: an overwhelming abundance of plastic waste!💉 Fast-forward a few decades, and medical supplies that once featured reusable materials like metal, cloth, and glass are now predominantly packaged in single-use plastic. What led to this shift? Hospitals worldwide have embraced one-time-use products, driven by the need for efficiency and convenience. The allure of opening a sterile package containing a ready-to-use procedure kit is undeniable. Economic factors also play a role, as disposables often prove more cost-effective than repeatedly sterilizing items. However, a new wave of eco-conscious doctors and patients 🌱 have emerged, shedding light on the healthcare industry's significant carbon footprint. The very system designed to enhance our health is concurrently harming it. To tackle this challenge, the Joint Commission has recently introduced a voluntary Sustainable Health Certification program for hospitals. Although many hospitals have already set sustainability goals, these standards aim to provide structure, accountability, and recognition, in turn expediting sustainability efforts in healthcare.🏆 Hospitals are taking further steps in the right direction by ditching single use gowns. UCLA Health 🏥 was using 2.6 million disposable isolation gowns every year, generating more than 230 tons of landfill waste. They then switched to reusable ones, which dramatically reduced waste and saved an estimated $450,000 annually. 🏛️The Food and Drug Administration can also play a pivotal role, encouraging manufacturers to transition to reusable materials, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can play a more assertive role in urging hospitals to meet sustainability targets. 📋 Recent events, like the Canadian wildfires, remind us of the intimate link between the environment and human health. The health-care sector needs to do more to decrease its impact on worsening the environment and in turn helping to safeguard our patients’ well-being.😷 What are your thoughts? Should healthcare systems prioritize sustainability? Are there viable alternatives to one-time-use medical supplies? Share your insights! 👇 📊 Quick Facts: - U.S. healthcare facilities produce a staggering 14,000 tons of waste daily - Each hospitalized patient generates nearly 34 pounds of waste daily, 25% being plastic - Healthcare accounts for 10% of the U.S. carbon emissions relative to aviation at 2% 🌿 #SustainabilityInHealthcare #JointCommission #GreenHealthcare #PlasticWaste #HealthierHealthcare 🌿

MedTech’s sustainability mission MedTech, not unlike other industries, hurts the environment and must find ways to mitigate this harm. Several leading top medtech companies have announced environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. What steps are medtech companies taking to improve sustainability and how much further do they need to go to make a dent in carbon emissions? Let’s dig deeper. Click here to read: https://lnkd.in/dKcPPDnP Vikram Kapur Bain & Company Manbeena Chawla Ph.D. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)  #MedTech #carbonemissions #medicaldevices #sustainability

Sustainability is not only one of the biggest buzzwords in the industry right now, but it can truly bring organizations a competitive advantage. However as exciting as it can be to dive deeper into this topic, it does tend to bring more questions to mind: -What exactly does sustainability look like for my organization? -Why should your organization care? -What challenges can you expect when working towards a more sustainable IT landscape? -Who can help me on this journey? For my Healthcare organizations, these questions can be answered with SHI's latest blog:

Really interesting and insightful session and learning more about the challenges of creating a sustainable healthcare system.

What a week for our #sustainability endeavors at Vetter Pharma! First, my fellow managing director, Thomas Otto, and I are excited to share that we have officially joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). As a member, we are sharing in one of the most ambitious climate protection goals in the world: being #climateneutral by 2050. Our team is already hard at work implementing the substantial CO2 action plan we need in place to hit that goal. Second, we have just received the Platinum Medal from EcoVadis, a global leader in sustainability ratings. This prestigious recognition places us in the top 1% of the world's most sustainable EcoVadis-rated companies. In raising Vetter from a Gold to Platinum rating, EcoVadis gave a special acknowledgment of the many different initiatives we continue to pursue – from our active membership in the United Nations Global Compact to our proactive work with suppliers aimed at enabling sustainability at every touchpoint. Both of these milestones stand as a testament to the hard work and dedication of our incredible staff! We’d like to especially recognize Henryk Badack and his team for their continuous efforts to keep a sustainability focus in everything we do. These are not just important for us, but also a mark of assurance for our customers, partners, and employees who #relyonus and share our sustainability goals. But of course, we must not stop here. Let’s continue pushing the boundaries of sustainability together, and lead the way to a brighter future!

🌱 Introducing our Sustainability Report 2023! Dive into the strides we've made toward a more sustainable future. “Nine out of ten people believe science and technology are vital in addressing big global challenges like climate change and health inequity,” shares Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO. At Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, sustainability isn't just a mandate—it's a business imperative. Here are some highlights: - Reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 17% - Half of our worldwide electricity now comes from renewable sources - Record high of 39% women in leadership positions - Among the top five pharmaceutical companies aiding access to medicines in low and middle-income countries But we’re not stopping there! Our sustainability strategy evolves, focusing on water and waste management, biodiversity, and social responsibility integration. Take our efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis, for example. We’ve donated over two billion tablets and are on track to eliminate this devastating tropical worm. 🙏 Huge thanks to our employees and partners for their unwavering support in making a tangible impact. https://lnkd.in/eYy4pyBx #Sustainability #MakingADifference #SustainableFuture

A really important piece to ensure health tech doesn't giveth and takeaway. The NHS commitment to net zero amongst it's suppliers does give rise to challenges for health tech companies who need to ensure that in order to keep having a positive impact on peoples' health they're not having a negative impact on the planets' health.

"Sustainability is the starting point, but it's not enough. We need to go further and that's what I am seeking to accomplish with our projects," adds Arcadis' Pablo La Roche. In a new Sustainable Biz Canada article, Roche discusses regenerative design and how it takes sustainability to the next level. Read it here: https://okt.to/yICz5u