PRODUCT & SERVICE LINE REPORTS
Simply a poor decision “It would be the advice of the Mattress Recycling Council that to do nothing but to continue to trash your old mattresses is a poor decision,” noted Joy Broussard, California Program and Logistics Coordinator, Mattress Recycling Council. t is a poor decision financially because your institution will pay ever growing dis- posal fees and transportation costs. If a mattress is not recycled, then it is landfilled. Many states or communities are banning mattresses from landfills because a mat- tress takes up too much space. Your trash disposal firm will need to drive further and further to find somewhere to bury your old mattresses and at ever increas- ing tip fees. Those costs are always passed directly onto you.
“As an institution trying to improve its environmental reputation, doing nothing is a poor environmental decision. The longer travel distances to ship your old mattresses add to greenhouse gas emissions. The valu- able materials within the mattresses that are buried are lost forever. Just imagine, for example, how many times those steel springs that you buried with that old mat- tress could continue to be re-shaped into future steel products time and time again.”
‘Code Red’ moral responsibility “We must change course, move the health- care industry and supply chain onto a more sustainable path,” said Rob Chase, Founder & CEO, NewGen Surgical Inc. “As the United Nations said recently about climate change, ‘It’s Code Red for human- ity.’ Doing nothing is not an option! We have a moral responsibility to our families and to future generations that we must do better and take action against the threat posed by climate change. As a country we have a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. Just because healthcare sup- plies life-saving medicines and surgical care does not mean we get a hall pass to do nothing. There are many areas where we as an industry can make a meaningful difference and the companies that manu- facture and supply products and services need to step up and lean into these chal- lenges that we all face. Those in supply chain can help ease this needed transition to low carbon patient care by seeking out and purchasing environmentally prefer- rable products. Production follows con- sumption, so making even small changes in what you purchase can have a meaningful and lasting impact.”
Healthcare must lead “I don’t believe doing nothing is an option, and even the status quo is unlikely to
be good enough,” said Andrew Knox, Manager, Environmentally Preferred Products, Premier. We are increasingly witnessing the effects of climate change and pollution on the people we as healthcare professionals serve, as well as on the envi- ronment. Pressure for change is only going to increase, whether from patients, stake- holders, or regulators. Healthcare cannot stand by and leave it to other industries to limit environmental impacts. We must show leadership.”
Amounts to a critical duty “Although healthcare industries continue to operate and even grow, we cannot main- tain the status quo because without drastic change, there will be an irreversible nega- tive impact on the environment,” warned Andy Marshall, CEO, Sterilis Solutions. “Since the 2016 Paris Agreement to limit global warming, businesses have been putting plans in place to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Despite these advances, progress on climate action has been limited. This lack of progress is partly attributed to supply chains since the bulk of carbon diox- ide emissions happen here. A company’s sustainability efforts reside mainly in the supply chain, giving light to the fact that a company is no more sustainable than its supply chain.
“Health operations are fundamental to maintaining the health and welfare of our society, as well as individual health, and have lasting impacts on the develop- ment and economic growth of the world. By developing and implementing envi- ronmentally conscious, forward-think- ing solutions within our supply chains, we can further progress the health and general well-being of current and future generations. “Implementing sustainability solu- tions now is critical to mitigating future consequences for generations to come. Sustainability should be at the forefront of most, if not all, healthcare organiza- tions’ priorities. By seeking out products, organizations and solutions that position environmentally friendly initiatives at the helm, we greatly strengthen our health sys- tems and the health of the environment.”
Too much is at stake “The healthcare industry needs to do its part for people and the planet, which are inextricably linked. The health of the planet affects human health, and with 5% of the global carbon emissions and 14,000 tons of waste per day from U.S. healthcare facilities, we have a responsibility to act,” argued Eileen Buckley, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Stryker. “We
54 November 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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see incorporating responsible, sustain- able practices across Stryker as a way to support our customers, help protect the planet, drive business value and growth and attract and retain talent. We take a business-minded approach to our cor- porate responsibility and sustainability investments, which also yield a positive social and environmental impact. The average time to payback on our energy investments is about 4.5 years. The risks of inaction could be far greater, including loss of market share, being in violation of country laws and regulations, missing opportunities on operational efficiencies and cost savings, including across our value chain, business interruption due to climate risks, losing out on top talent and more.”
Doing nothing is … unhealthy “When it comes to sustainability, the health- care industry is not fine, and it hasnt been, observed Cristina Indiveri, Associate Vice President, Strategic Programs and Contract Services, Vizient. “It is contributing to a significant amount of carbon emissions, creating waste and exposing patients to potentially dangerous chemicals. COVID, which highlighted multiple weaknesses in healthcare, is the perfect example of why we must act now to course correct. Instead of letting lack of sustainability continue to balloon, impacting human and environ- mental health, shouldn’t we collaborate to deflate the crisis that it will surely bring if nothing is done?
“Doing nothing is not an option. My children’s lives and the lives of countless other individuals are at stake. Extreme heat, severe weather, air pollution and other symptoms of climate change are significantly increasing heat-related deaths, injuries and diseases across the globe. Harmful chemicals, once introduced into the supply chain, are not easily, if at all, extracted, except through attrition. [See
https://newsroom.vizientinc.com/ improving-human-and-environmental- health-call-for-environmentally-pre-
ferred-health-care-sourcing.htm?blog/ supplychain.]
“Simply put, healthy people cannot exist
on a sick planet. I refuse to be a bystander while the ‘greatest global threat to public health’ negatively impacts the health and wellbeing of our current generation and the generations to come.” HPN
More online: Sustainability project, program exam- ples abound with incentives, motiva- tions, open minds
https://hpnonline.com/21283854
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