INDUSTRY COLLABORATION to make an impact
“GREEN SAVES GREEN”
Industry-led solutions and cross-sector partnerships are essential to scale healthcare environmental stewardship, aligning operational sustainability with patient safety and regulatory compliance. By collaborating with manufacturers, suppliers, and clinical teams, healthcare organizations can implement greener practices that reduce waste and resource use—demonstrating that going green often reduces costs and improves efficiency.
FDA-cleared Pall reusable anesthesia circuits from Cytiva allow one circuit to be used for multiple patients with a new filter per case—reducing daily circuit use, decreasing waste disposal, and delivering measurable cost savings for the OR.
Official Links for Stryker Sustainability Solutions
Main Product Page: Multiple-patient-use anesthesia circuits | Cytiva
Official Brochure & Technical Specs (PDF): Multiple-Patient-Use Anesthesia Circuits - Pall Medical
Supporting Article: Overcoming the "Yuck Factor" in Reusing Anesthesia Circuits
Medline ReNewal® helps facilities reduce expenses by reprocessing select single-use devices for safe reuse under FDA-regulated quality controls. By extending product life cycles, the program cuts procurement costs, decreases red-bag waste, and supports a more resilient, sustainable supply chain. In short: less waste, lower spend, same clinical performance.
Official Links for Medline ReNewal
Main Product & Program Page: Medline ReNewal™ Device Reprocessing
OnDemand Tracking Portal: OnDemand Online Oversight Tool — Streamlines reprocessing efforts by tracking collected devices and monitoring program status in real-time.
Success Story & Case Study: Sharp Healthcare’s ReNewal Success — Details how a major health system bolstered sustainability through this program.
Sustainability Impact Report: Medline 2024 Sustainability Report — Provides high-level metrics on waste diversion and program growth.
Stryker’s Sustainability Solutions reprocessing program collects eligible single-use devices and reprocesses them to FDA regulatory standards for safe clinical reuse. Hospitals reduce supply costs, decrease regulated medical waste, and extend product life cycles without compromising quality or performance. It’s a proven way to improve both environmental impact and the bottom line.
Official Links for Stryker Sustainability Solutions
Main Sustainability Page: Sustainability Solutions | Stryker
Quality & Standards: Stryker's Sustainability Solutions Quality — Details the FDA-regulated processes and 100% function testing for reprocessed devices.
Reprocessed Portfolios: Reprocessed Products Hub — Lists available anesthesia and surgical devices, including LigaSure™ and pulse oximeter sensors.
Resource Newsroom: SSS Newsroom — Provides clinical education, life cycle assessments, and case studies on reprocessing in healthcare.
Waste Gas Capture & Destruction
-
SageTech Medical: Captures waste volatile anesthetics using reusable canisters for future recycling.
-
A system that adsorbs 99% of fluorinated halocarbons using a coconut-derived medium.
-
Sustainable CO2 Absorption
-
Patented solid-sheet technology that minimizes chemical waste and improves efficiency in low-flow anesthesia.
Medical Device Reprocessing (Circular Economy)
-
Reprocesses over 4,300 types of devices, helping facilities save up to 50% on procurement costs.
-
Stryker Sustainability Solutions:
A leader in reprocessing advanced energy devices and anesthesia accessories.
-
Provides comprehensive reprocessing for a wide variety of non-invasive and invasive devices.
-
Specializes in high-quality reprocessing of medical devices with a focus on waste diversion.
Reusable Airway & Clinical Equipment
-
Cytiva (Pall Reusable Circuits):
FDA-cleared circuits that can be used for 24 hours (multi-patient) with a single filter change.
-
A global leader in durable endoscopes and airway management tools designed for thousands of uses.
-
Offers surgical-grade stainless steel reusable laryngoscope blades.
-
Sustainable Textiles & "Blue Wrap" Recycling
-
Iron Mountain (Sterilization Wrap Recycling):
Seamlessly integrates blue wrap recycling into existing facility workflows.
-
Converts recycled blue wrap into circular healthcare products.
-
Leading manufacturer of high-cycle reusable surgical gowns
-
Provides on-site blue wrap recycling solutions and detailed sustainability reporting.
-
Encompass Group (Paragon® Gowns):
Breathable, high-performance reusable surgical gowns that withstand 75–125 wash cycles.
-
A service-based approach to reusable linens and gowns for outpatient and surgical settings.
REGULATORY & QUALITY ACCREDITATION
-
The Joint Commission | Sustainable Healthcare Certification
Description: A voluntary national certification launched in January 2024 to help hospitals accelerate their decarbonization efforts. It provides a rigorous framework for assessing how facilities enhance energy efficiency, reduce waste, and track greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Key Requirements:
Hospitals must provide baseline data for at least three GHG emission sources.
Anesthetic gas use (specifically volatile agents and nitrous oxide) is explicitly listed as a primary metric for initial and re-certification reviews.
To recertify, organizations must demonstrate a reduction in these sources over a 24-month period.
-
Practice Greenhealth | Environmental Excellence Awards
Description: The leading recognition program for healthcare sustainability in the U.S., honoring facilities that set industry standards in waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and climate leadership.
Specialized Recognition:
Greening the OR Leadership Award: Specifically recognizes facilities that successfully reduce the environmental footprint of their surgical suites.
Greenhealth Emerald Award: Awarded to the top 20% of applicants who demonstrate advanced sustainability programs across all categories.
Circle of Excellence (Climate): Honoring leadership in reducing GHG emissions and improving energy efficiency.
-
Green Building Initiative | Green Globes for Healthcare
Description: A science-based building rating system and certification that focuses on the environmental performance of healthcare facilities. It is designed to be a flexible, collaborative alternative to other building certifications, specifically adapting to the unique complexities of hospital design.
Focus Areas: Evaluates energy consumption, water performance, materials selection, and waste management to improve operational efficiency and patient-centered care.
-
Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH)
Description: An international network of over 1,700 hospitals and health systems dedicated to reducing their ecological footprint.
The Framework: Members commit to the GGHH Agenda, which includes 10 interconnected goals such as leadership, waste reduction, and safer chemical management. It provides a peer-to-peer forum for sharing best practices and measuring environmental outcomes.
Alternatives to Plastic & Bio-Based Materials
-
Uses PVC-free and phthalate-free medical films for fluid bags and pouches.
-
Curates eco-friendly medical products, including plant-based polymers and biodegradable gloves
EMR OVERLAY & DATA ANALYTICS
-
AdaptX | Clinical Performance Management
Description: An "EMR overlay" that empowers clinical leaders to monitor and manage practice patterns in real-time without needing IT intervention. AdaptX enables anesthesia teams to track greenhouse gas emissions across patients, providers, and procedures—helping them rapidly iterate protocols to reduce fresh gas flows and eliminate high-impact agents.
Impact: Used by Project SPRUCE to help hospital systems achieve up to a 90% reduction in anesthesia-related emissions while significantly cutting costs.
-
Description: Built-in reporting and point-of-care guidance within the Epic EHR. The dashboard provides organizations with data-driven stewardship tools to encourage the use of environmentally friendly anesthetic agents and track the carbon footprint of surgical services.
Impact: Assisted Providence Health in decreasing anesthesia-related greenhouse gas emissions by 78%, resulting in $2.4 million in annual savings through data-driven agent selection.
-
SlicerDicer & Cogito Analytics (Epic)
Description: Epic’s self-service reporting tools allow clinicians to explore their own data models. By using the Anesthetic Record Data Model, departments can create custom visualizations to monitor KPIs like macro-consumption of volatile agents and department-wide low-flow compliance.
Impact: Facilitates a culture of transparency where clinicians can compare their performance against peer benchmarks to drive continuous quality improvement.