Sustainability and eco-friendly practices are common in many industries, including healthcare. Below, we’ll explain some eco-conscious practices making healthcare greener, from their sustainability advantages to their efficiency and cost-effective benefits.
Utilizing Renewable Energy
One of the most significant ways the healthcare industry embraces sustainability and eco-friendly practices is through the use of renewable energy. Many healthcare facilities, from hospitals to clinics and treatment centers, embrace solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power for their energy needs.
We all know that healthcare facilities like hospitals require a lot of energy to keep working 24/7. Still, renewable energy ensures these facilities don’t waste energy and are more self-reliant. Plus, solar and wind power can save healthcare facilities money on their energy bills in areas with plenty of sun and wind.
Green Building Design
There’s also a growing emphasis on green building design for new and updated facilities to help make healthcare facilities more efficient in their energy usage. Green building design includes characteristics like:
- Natural sunlight
- LED lights
- Water conservation (low-flow fixtures, rainwater harvesting, etc.)
- Green insulation (like polystyrene or cellulose)
- Energy-efficient windows
Adopting these practices and strategies helps hospitals save money on energy usage and reduces their carbon footprint. They’re also great for creating a cleaner, healthier environment for patients with greater indoor air quality and more natural light.
Eco-Friendly Medical Device Production
Even in manufacturing medical devices and equipment, there have been great strides in sustainability and energy efficiency. There’s a greater emphasis for manufacturers to create eco-conscious manufacturing practices, impacting everything from the raw materials used to production processes and even equipment transportation.
More sustainable manufacturing methods, like laser marking, benefit the medical industry as more environmentally friendly methods than alternatives like inkjet or chemical marking. Supply chain management is also an area of focus as manufacturers and vendors work to make their processes as efficient as possible to reduce carbon emissions.
Waste Management
Anyone who has been in a hospital before understands the tremendous amount of waste these facilities can produce. For sanitation reasons, one-use plastics and other supplies are regularly used, which adds to a lot of plastic waste daily for hospitals and care facilities.
However, many healthcare providers are taking stronger measures to reduce waste, like implementing clear guidelines for waste segregation, inventory control systems to reduce waste generation, and more useful recycling programs for paper, plastics, and packaging.
These are just a few of the eco-conscious practices that are making healthcare greener. Medicine has always been on the cutting edge of technology and advancement. Along with reducing waste and energy usage, green practices also help the industry become more efficient and cost-effective, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
