Healthcare uses a large part of the United States’ environmental resources. Modern health systems cause about 5% of the world’s carbon emissions. The pharmaceutical sector is a big part of this because it uses a lot of energy to get raw materials, make medicines, package them, and deliver them.
A report by Unitaid says that up to 95% of a medicine’s greenhouse gas emissions come from getting raw materials and manufacturing. This includes taking natural resources, chemical processing, and steps that need a lot of energy and create waste. Making medicines also uses a lot of water and can create chemical waste. Sometimes this waste can pollute water if it is not properly managed.
Plastic packaging and single-use medical supplies cause a lot of waste. The industry often uses plastic that is hard to recycle. These plastics usually end up in landfills or are burned, which harms the environment.
Because of these problems, there are efforts and talks at national and international levels to make sustainable buying rules, green production methods, and clear supply chain practices to lower the environmental impact of medicines.
Sustainable procurement means buying medical supplies and medicines in ways that reduce harm to the environment while keeping products good, safe, and affordable. In the pharmaceutical world, this means choosing suppliers who use clean manufacturing, renewable energy, cut waste, and get materials ethically.
Healthcare groups like hospitals and clinics in the U.S. are asking drug suppliers to show their environmental impact before buying from them. For example, the National Health Service (NHS) in England wants to have zero carbon emissions by 2040 and will require carbon impact reports starting in 2028. The U.S. does not have a nationwide rule yet but is seeing more interest in sustainability from both public and private healthcare groups.
Sustainable procurement can include:
In the U.S., medical groups can push drug makers and suppliers to follow these green practices by including environmental goals in buying choices.
Medical practice managers and owners find that sustainable buying helps with more than just the environment. It can also support running their business well and saving money.
Though there are benefits, buying sustainably faces some problems:
Experts say that working together with healthcare groups, regulators, suppliers, and tech companies is needed to solve these problems and make sustainable buying a regular part of decisions.
New technology helps support sustainable procurement. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation tools are used more in drug manufacturing and healthcare management to make work efficient and cut environmental impact.
AI systems can look at large amounts of data from suppliers to check if they meet sustainability rules. These tools find areas in the supply chain where carbon emissions or waste are high. By automating supplier checks and monitoring, healthcare groups can choose better suppliers.
AI and automation help clinics order medicines and supplies in smart ways. This reduces extra stock that might expire or needs unnecessary shipping. AI can predict demand well and plan orders to lower emissions from transport.
Green buying needs good reports about environmental effects. AI can gather and create these reports automatically, helping comply with new rules without adding lots of work. For example, AI can make reports that match standards from groups like the European Commission or U.S. sustainability guidelines.
Drug companies use AI and big data to try green chemistry and find new ways to make drugs with less energy or waste. While this is mainly done by manufacturers, IT managers in clinics should recognize how important these technologies will be in future buying systems.
ICT front-office tools, such as AI-powered phone systems and answering services, help healthcare groups manage communications and workflows better. By automating routine tasks, staff can focus more on sustainability efforts instead of manual work.
Medical practice managers and owners in the U.S. can take steps to improve sustainability in buying medicines and supplies:
Many groups around the world and in the U.S. promote green practices in pharmaceuticals and healthcare. The World Health Organization (WHO) started the “Greener pharmaceuticals’ regulatory highway” project. It supports green manufacturing, digital rules, and clear supply chains. Though it mostly focuses on low and middle-income countries, its ideas are important for the U.S. too.
In Europe, groups like the NHS and Nordic countries include environmental rules in buying. This affects drug makers worldwide. The U.S. industry might learn from these models as it builds its own green strategies.
Big drug companies in the U.S. have also set goals to cut carbon emissions by 2030 to 2040. They plan to use renewable energy and green chemistry. This trend gives U.S. healthcare providers chances and pressure to use sustainable procurement.
Sustainable procurement affects not just the environment but also how healthcare is delivered. When medical practices buy green products, they help reduce air and water pollution, save resources, and cut drug waste. This supports healthier communities.
Sustainable buying also fits with healthcare goals to give good care while using fewer resources. Choosing medicines and supplies with lower environmental harm goes well with quality and safety standards.
The WHO’s initiative, titled ‘Greener pharmaceuticals’ regulatory highway,’ aims to drive sustainability in the pharmaceutical sector by promoting innovative regulatory practices to reduce the environmental footprint of medical products while maintaining safety and efficacy.
Sustainability is imperative due to the healthcare sector’s contribution of approximately 5% of global carbon emissions and the increasing health risks exacerbated by climate change.
Key proposals include establishing new standards for sustainable manufacturing, enhancing digital transformation, and streamlining regulatory procedures for eco-friendly innovations.
The WHO advocates for enhancing regulatory capacity through digitization, particularly benefiting low- and middle-income countries.
Health systems are encouraged to lead by example in mitigating environmental impact, thereby acting as a catalyst for broader sector transformation.
The sector can reduce its impact by adopting cleaner production techniques, redesigning synthetic processes, and investing in renewable energy.
WHO emphasizes the need for greater transparency and accountability in supply chain practices to ensure the adoption of sustainable procurement standards.
Unitaid’s report indicated that up to 95% of greenhouse gas emissions for select medicines come from raw material acquisition and manufacturing processes.
The white paper will outline sustainable regulatory practices and be discussed at a global summit, aiming to advance transformative actions in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
The WHO initiative aligns with key frameworks such as the Global Strategy on Health, Environment, and Climate Change, and is bolstered by the COP28 Declaration.
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