Hospital Sustainability Spending on the Rise

by | Oct 1, 2014

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Johnson Johnson graphicFifty-four percent of global health care professionals say their hospitals currently incorporate sustainability into purchasing decisions, and 80 percent expect that to be the case in two years, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Johnson & Johnson.

The global findings are similar to those of US health care providers, where 52 percent say their hospitals currently incorporate sustainability into purchasing decisions, with an increase to 81 percent expected in two years.

According to respondents, their hospitals have plans in place for minimizing environmental impact when using or disposing of medical products. Globally, respondents report their hospitals prioritize sustainability purchasing as follows:

  • Multi-use surgical devices at 58 percent globally, 74 percent in the US
  • Single-use surgical devices at 55 percent globally, 64 percent US
  • Decontaminators/washers/sterilizers/autoclaves at 52 percent globally, 51 percent US
  • Wound care products/sutures at 48 percent globally, 53 percent US

About eight in 10 respondents say sustainable products help protect hospital staff, and more than half say green initiatives help improve health outcomes and are an important factor for patients when choosing a hospital.

Health care professionals also agree it makes good financial sense for hospitals to go green, both in the US (79 percent) and globally (69 percent), and report a strong commitment to sustainability from top hospital management, at 67 percent in the US and 60 percent globally.

In regard to purchasing, US respondents report the most important sustainability considerations are energy efficient devices, followed by recyclable packaging, latex free devices, products designed for multi-use, devices free of heavy metals, reduced packaging size and products including recycling content in packaging.

The survey results are in line with a 2012 report released by Johnson & Johnson, which showed that hospitals were placing greater emphasis on green products used in patient care and throughout their facilities.

Last year Johnson & Johnson launched a recycling campaign on Tumblr with the goal of encouraging consumers to recycle bathroom products instead of throwing them in the trash.

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