Sustainable healthcare scale – A new framework to reduce the carbon footprint of hospitals and clinics
Muhammad Jawad HASHIM
Abstract. Healthcare accounts for up to 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This massive carbon footprint is driven by energy consumption, anesthetic gases, single‐use devices, pharmaceuticals, waste treatment, and staff and patient transportation. This study aimed to develop a new scale for measuring best practices for sustainability at healthcare facilities such as hospitals and clinics. In the first phase of the study, best practices for sustainable healthcare were compiled. These include comprehensive energy management, upgrading to high efficiency HVAC systems, installing onsite renewable energy sources (solar panels, passive solar water heating, and wind turbines), and implementing real-time monitoring to address inefficiencies. Waste reduction strategies such as rigorous segregation, recycling, and reprocessing programs for single-use medical devices can cut waste volumes dramatically. Procurement policies can prioritize low-carbon, ethically sourced local products. In the second phase, a new Sustainable Healthcare Scale (SHS) was formulated with 10 levels. Level 0 indicates a lack of policy and practice, going up to Level 10 standing for carbon-negative operations, fully circular supply chain, and innovative practices for climate-health. Action-oriented descriptors were added to each level. Policy makers, government regulators, and accreditation agencies can use SHS to ensure compliance and encourage adoption of better environmental practices. By combining these strategies with robust carbon accounting and clear performance indicators, SHS can enable hospitals to achieve energy savings of 25–30 percent, reduce medical waste by 20–25 percent, and lower supply-chain emissions by 15 percent. SHS empowers health systems to measure their progress and set goals for sustainable healthcare.
Keywords
Climate Change, Environment, Sustainability, Healthcare, Medicine, Carbon Footprint, Circular Economy, Hospitals
Published online 6/20/2026, 5 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Muhammad Jawad HASHIM, Sustainable healthcare scale – A new framework to reduce the carbon footprint of hospitals and clinics, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 943-947, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-128
The article was published as article 128 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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