Cover story – advertising feature


Proven solutions for sustainability in care


JLA’s Head of Product Helen Buchan explores how care homes can make their operations more sustainable without increasing costs – or compromising the quality of their care.


Aware of the challenges care homes face in balancing running costs, quality care provision, and pressure to act on sustainability, JLA recently carried out a UK-wide survey of care home owners and workers to understand the sector’s relationship with ESG. Consistent themes emerged, with 89 per cent of respondents telling us sustainability is important to their strategy, and 59 per cent setting sustainability goals in their operations. This shows that a large majority of care home operators want to do more, and that, promisingly, many are already are. Indeed, 81 per cent of respondents described setting up energy efficiency initiatives, and 70 per cent of respondents were looking to drastically reduce waste in the near term. However, 56 per cent of respondents told us that budget constraints are a barrier to movement, 52 per cent cited a lack of time or


resource to make meaningful change, and a further 41 per cent reported knowledge gaps inside their organisations, hampering efforts to get initiatives off the ground. This suggests that some providers are unsure where to start on their journeys, and that others believe radical change is either prohibitively expensive, or too difficult to implement. With so much to think about from day-to-


day, many care home managers also told us that engaging with sustainability can feel overwhelming – another thing to juggle. So, why does sustainability in care matter in the first place?


The growing role of ESG in social care Making a shift towards more sustainable thinking isn’t just the ethical choice – it’s rational. Elements of the NHS’s Net Zero targets are already making their way into the social care model, while the CQC is more than likely to include environmental impact and similar requirements in future audits, making future-proofing a smart policy. ESG also makes a difference to staff


morale and retention. We’ve consistently seen that, by achieving staff buy-in, organisations can take more meaningful steps towards change, without major investment. Ultimately, this is because people want to work for organisations whose values reflect their own; care home staff – like most of us – recycle at home and talk to their children about sustainability, so naturally they want their workplace to reflect those values too. Furthermore, visibly improving sustainability can also matter to staff who have moved from countries where they have witnessed first-


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Volume 10 Issue 8 September 2025 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


hand the impact of environmental issues on their communities. The effects can be powerful for residents, too. One of our customers recently introduced motion sensors alongside a policy to turn off TVs and radios in empty lounges; in the home’s dementia units, residents recognised these measures as a cue for bedtime. They went to their rooms, got into bed, and, crucially, stayed there, with the change improving their sleep, appetite and behaviour. In other ways, residents’ loved ones also


have an influence on these choices. Whether it’s children, parents, or grandparents, sustainability is high in the public consciousness – and people do genuinely notice moves like switching to biodegradable cups, wooden stirrers, and cutlery.


Starting today with practical, low-cost changes


Switching to LED lighting in communal areas is a quick, cost-effective way to eliminate unnecessary energy use. Pairing those systems with motion sensors – particularly in lower-traffic areas like toilets and corridors – will further drive down costs. Then, a ‘TV off’ policy for empty areas should continue to reduce electricity use. Similarly, better educating staff on sorting waste will help you recycle more. This could be as simple as clearly labelling bags and bins and giving ongoing feedback to improve compliance. In the kitchen, this might look like tracking meal uptake and adjusting portion sizes to minimise leftovers and waste. You could even find it useful to repurpose staff uniforms and


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2025

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