With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, now more than ever we see the need for more resilient and circular healthcare systems that can both minimise their contribution to climate change and adapt to the resulting health threats. It has been an extremely challenging year for the sector and there is still a long way to go before “returning to normal”, but the question remains - what do we want this “normal” to look like?
Healthcare professionals and the wider sector hold enormous potential to set an example and lead the transition to carbon neutrality - by reducing their environmental footprint, without compromising the quality of care, they can save money, reduce environmental damage, and improve health. They can inspire other sectors and policy-makers to move away from a linear, take>make>use>dispose culture, towards a circular healthcare model. Such a transition relies on behaviour change as well as new technologies and innovation; and we already have tools and expertise to start reusing many products within healthcare, including medical devices through reprocessing.
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