HCWH Europe has created a new resource providing best practice examples of reducing plastic in healthcare. These solutions can support and inspire healthcare facilities to improve circularity by significantly reducing plastics, especially single-use. Many of these initiatives can also lead to cost savings.
From operating rooms to canteens, the healthcare sector consumes a vast amount of single-use plastics. Many of these products can be substituted with reusable alternatives made with more sustainable materials or avoided altogether. The healthcare sector must move away from unnecessary single-use products and toxic chemicals and become a torchbearer for sustainable supply chains. Its scale and huge purchasing power mean it is ideally placed to push for reusable, non-toxic solutions that save natural resources, reduce waste, and are better for patients, budgets, and the planet.
Our new resource, Reducing plastic in healthcare | Examples and best practice, includes chapters on reducing plastic in food services, medical protective clothing, the OR, and hospital operations and is available for members of our Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network via the GGHH Connect platform - log in and access it today.
Not a member yet? Now is a great time to join our network to access this document and a suite of other resources available on GGHH Connect to support sustainable, circular healthcare. Becoming a GGHH member in Europe gives healthcare providers access to this platform where members can share experiences, challenges, resources, and advice with thousands of other healthcare providers worldwide. Read more about the benefits of membership here.
Members of our GGHH network across Europe are already leading this transformation, many of whom are featured in this new resource. For example, The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (UK) has replaced 8,000 plastic milk bottles per year with reusable glass bottles that they can return to the supplier with no change in price per unit. The Clinical University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca (ES) has also saved 95,000 bottles annually by using filtered tap water in their staff dining room.
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Request access to the document at europe@hcwh.org
You can find these examples and many more in our new resource Reducing plastic in healthcare | Examples and best practice available to GGHH members on GGHH Connect.
Co-funded by the EU and the Flotilla Foundation. HCWH Europe is solely responsible for this content and related materials. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official views of the EU, CINEA, or Flotilla who cannot be held responsible for them.