Sustainable procurement means buying goods and services by thinking about their effects on the environment, society, and the economy from start to finish—from making them to throwing them away. In healthcare, this means choosing things that do less harm to people’s health and the planet and also support fair work and local businesses.
Traditional buying usually focuses on price and quality. Sustainable procurement looks at three parts:
Healthcare supply chains make a lot of carbon emissions. This makes sustainable procurement very important. Around 60 to 80% of a healthcare system’s emissions come from the products and services they buy. In the UK, the National Health Service found that 60% of its emissions were from buying activities. This shows that what they buy affects their carbon footprint a lot.
In the U.S., healthcare costs are almost 18% of the total economy. This means healthcare has a lot of buying power. Using sustainable procurement means using that power to help people and the planet.
The healthcare field affects the environment in many ways. It uses a lot of energy, creates waste, and causes emissions when making, moving, using, and throwing away medical products. Sustainable procurement tries to cut toxic chemicals, energy, and water use during the whole life of products. This helps the earth and makes hospitals better places for patients and workers.
Kaiser Permanente, a large healthcare group in the U.S., shows how this works. They reached carbon neutrality in 2020 by getting all their electricity from renewable sources. Their Environmental Preferable Purchasing program asks suppliers to meet tough environmental rules and have certain certifications like EPEAT for electronics. This helps cut harmful chemicals and waste in medical devices and supplies.
Medical devices are a big part of emissions, making about 7% of U.S. healthcare emissions. In 2024, Kaiser Permanente started the CHARME group with hospitals and medical companies to lower emissions in this area. They focus on making sturdy devices and using fewer resources and waste from making to throwing them away.
Reducing harmful chemicals is another way to help. For example, switching from latex gloves to non-latex ones and using PVC-free carpet materials lowers exposure to allergens and toxins. This also improves air quality inside and keeps workplaces healthier.
Sustainable procurement is not just about the environment. It also helps with money and social issues in healthcare. Choosing products that last longer means spending less on replacements and waste removal. Operating rooms that use energy-saving LED lights or reusable tools can save about $56,000 each year.
Supporting small and local suppliers helps communities grow and makes the supply chain stronger. Healthcare groups also promote social fairness by choosing vendors who respect human rights, pay fair wages, and keep workers safe. This fight against problems like modern slavery affects millions of people worldwide. CommonSpirit Health works to stop forced labor in their supply chain by telling suppliers the rules and helping them follow those rules.
Hospitals and clinics that include social responsibility in buying attract workers, build trust in the community, and better serve patients by supporting fairness and safe places.
Even though sustainable procurement has many benefits, it can be hard to make it happen in healthcare. Supply chains are often split up and suppliers have different skills and follow different rules. Some of the challenges are:
Fixing these issues needs strong leadership, working with many groups, and putting sustainability into rules and contracts. Advocate Aurora Health is one group that has added sustainability rules to buying requests and made partnerships to improve these efforts.
Technology like AI and workflow automation is playing a bigger role in making sustainable procurement better. Automating simple tasks frees up staff to focus on big plans like working with suppliers and checking sustainability.
AI helps by analyzing data to watch supplier actions related to environmental and social standards. It can look at large amounts of information to find risks like breaking environmental rules or social problems like forced labor. Technologies like blockchain and IoT keep track of products along the supply chain, making sure sustainability claims are true.
Workflow automation helps by automatically routing purchase requests, checking sustainability, and managing supplier contacts. This cuts down on paperwork and helps make decisions faster. AI can suggest better products by studying details like product life and supplier records.
AI also calculates the carbon footprint of buying options to guide healthcare groups to choose products and suppliers with less impact. It helps plan deliveries to use less fuel and combine orders to reduce waste.
Healthcare IT managers and leaders can add AI tools into their current systems to improve reports and track sustainability. These tools help meet rules from groups like the EU and U.S. by keeping supplier info, audits, and emissions data.
Medical practice managers and owners in the U.S. can follow these steps for better sustainable procurement:
Using these steps, medical practices can cut their environmental impact and help their communities and economies in the long run.
More healthcare groups are realizing the effects their buying has on the environment and society. Kaiser Permanente’s carbon neutrality and their purchasing program show examples of reducing emissions and harmful exposures. Working together in projects like CHARME spreads good ideas for making medical devices greener across the country.
Sustainable procurement goes beyond cost. It deals with important issues like climate change, limited resources, and fairness. It fits with global goals like the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12, which is about using resources responsibly.
Healthcare groups that use sustainable procurement save money, improve health, and build a good reputation in their communities. They also get ready to meet rules, please investors and consumers, and face future environmental and social challenges.
For medical managers, owners, and IT staff, learning and using sustainable procurement ideas can lead to a healthcare system that works better, is more responsible, and can handle future needs.
This article is meant to help medical professionals in the U.S. understand why sustainable procurement matters. By making smart buying choices and using technology, healthcare providers can cut environmental harm and bring more benefits to their patients, workers, and communities.
Sustainable procurement involves purchasing goods and services in a way that minimizes environmental impact and enhances social and economic benefits. It considers the entire lifecycle of products from creation to disposal.
Kaiser Permanente’s program includes strategies, partnerships, specific goals, and frameworks aimed at reducing healthcare’s environmental impact while improving health outcomes for members and communities.
The EPP initiative focuses on acquiring products and services that are less harmful to the environment and human health, promoting cleaner energy, safer chemicals, and waste reduction.
Suppliers must comply with specific environmental criteria regarding chemicals of concern and waste, developed with input from various healthcare organizations.
Kaiser Permanente integrates credible third-party environmental certifications into sourcing, such as EPEAT for electronics and GreenScreen Certified for medical supplies, to support its EPP Standards.
The Decarbonization Initiative aims to minimize healthcare’s environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, achieving carbon neutrality, and transitioning to renewable energy sources.
The MedTech supply chain accounts for approximately 7% of U.S. healthcare’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
The CHARME collaborative focuses on reducing emissions in the MedTech supply chain, aiming to address the greenhouse gas emissions from medical devices, equipment, and distribution.
Strategic partnerships facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and enhanced efforts in environmental initiatives, focusing on health equity and the climate narrative among various organizations.
Kaiser Permanente’s environmental stewardship is rooted in its mission to protect and promote health, recognizing the importance of sustainable practices in the communities it serves.
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