The only way to curb climate change is together

July 30, 2024

By Cristina Indiveri, Vizient Associate Vice President, Core Tenet Programs
Mellissa Nguyen, Vizient Senior Program Services Manager, Environmental Sustainability
Rebecca Hou, Vizient Program Manager, Environmental Sustainability

We all know that collaboration is essential to better healthcare - considering the myriad of challenges faced by providers and suppliers, it's crystal clear that the only way forward is together.

And nowhere is that truer than in the sustainability realm. It's an oft-cited statistic, largely because it's a stunning one: The U.S. healthcare system contributes 10% of the nation's carbon emissions and 9% of harmful non-greenhouse air pollutants.

That's why we've taken even greater strides to join hands across the industry through two new collaborations: the Collaborative for Healthcare Action to Reduce MedTech Emissions (CHARME) and the Medical Equipment Proactive Alliance (MEPA).

CHARME is an initiative that convenes health systems, medical device and equipment suppliers, distributors, GPOs and other key industry stakeholders to define, implement and champion best practices to reduce emissions from the MedTech supply chain. Co-chaired by Kaiser Permanente and Vizient, CHARME members work collaboratively to implement actions along a 24-month decarbonization roadmap defined in the white paper Catalyzing Collective Action to Decarbonize Healthcare Roadmap for Health Systems and MedTech Suppliers with input from more than 30 organizations.

MEPA involved a multi-year collaboration between Vizient and Healthtrust, major suppliers and NGOs to create a first-of-its-kind sustainability criteria for purchasing medical imaging equipment. The criteria is meant to help reduce the climate, environmental and social impacts of medical imaging devices supplied to the healthcare sector. After a six-month period in 2023 for a global public consultation, the final document was published in May 2024. MEPA will continue to meet to further enhance correct interpretation, objectives and data requirements to help purchasers' evaluation.

And of course, ESG Impact Spend initiatives - which marry environmental sustainability and supplier diversity efforts through allocating financial resources to initiatives that have positive social, environmental and economic impacts - are integral to better healthcare. Vizient Community Contracting, for instance, encourages healthcare systems and other purchasing organizations - such as universities, corporations and nonprofits - to invest in the regional economy by directing their spend to local diverse suppliers who in turn hire from the community.

Here, we discuss a few major reasons that taking part in collaborations is vital not just for the health of our industry but to ensure positive outcomes for people, places and the planet. If your organization is on the fence about committing to bolder (and less siloed) sustainability efforts, consider these talking points.

Leverage collective resources. This is one of the biggest benefits of cross-industry collaboration. By working together, healthcare providers, suppliers and industry networks can pool their knowledge, expertise and resources to develop innovative solutions, which allows for the identification of sustainable alternatives and the sharing of best practices - and ultimately leads to more effective and efficient sustainability initiatives.

Involving all industry stakeholders, including GPOs, creates a bridge that prevents information from falling through the cracks, allowing providers and suppliers to have greater visibility into each other's specific needs that leads to more targeted efforts to address them. Everyone is passionate about taking action, but the question is, "How do we do this together?" Collaborations like CHARME are a great forum to discuss how to move the needle from good intentions to tangible results.

Address misconceptions. Many healthcare systems believe that sustainable alternatives are either unavailable or cost prohibitive. By collaborating with suppliers and GPOs, providers can gain access to tools, resources and insights that highlight sustainable options that align with their clinical, financial and sustainability goals.

At Vizient, for example, we collaborated with our Environmental Advisory Council to identify and define environmentally preferred product attributes to help the entire healthcare industry standardize, and we developed free resources like the ES Toolkit and ES Tracker to give providers' greater visibility into their sustainability efforts.

Remember, by working together to develop, identify and choose environmentally sustainable products and services, health systems can reduce energy consumption and waste, leading to lower operational costs. Additionally, healthier staff and patients means lower healthcare costs and fewer readmissions.

Unify your focus and approach. Collaboration enables healthcare systems to align with existing third-party commitments and pledges related to sustainability. By collectively requesting changes from suppliers, such as the removal of harmful chemicals from products, healthcare systems can send a powerful signal about their priorities. This unified approach not only drives change but also provides suppliers with a clear understanding of customer demands, fostering a more sustainable supply chain.

One example took place at this year's CleanMed conference. Suppliers were initially asked to create biodegradable patient belonging bags, but then the conversation shifted to evaluating whether the bags were needed. Providers agreed to only purchase the bags when necessary and explore the possibility of implementing reusable options. Bringing suppliers and providers together in the same room allowed for a more holistic and collaborative approach to addressing sustainability challenges and highlighted the importance of understanding the needs and priorities of both parties to drive meaningful change.

Involve the entire value chain. Effective collaboration in sustainability efforts extends beyond the provider-supplier relationship: It involves engaging with chemical makers, research and development funds, and financing entities to remove chemicals of concern from healthcare products. By recognizing that sustainability initiatives must encompass the entire value chain, healthcare organizations can work together to drive change at every level.

Accelerate progress: Collaboration accelerates progress in sustainability by addressing diverse perspectives and priorities. Healthcare providers, suppliers and stakeholders have different priorities, including public health and safety, cost effectiveness and efficiency. By considering these diverse perspectives, collaborative efforts can drive value creation in areas like environmental performance, trust, revenue generation, risk mitigation and employee satisfaction (including retention and recruitment).

In fact, a recent Deloitte survey found that 69% of employed adults want their companies to invest in sustainability efforts, including carbon and waste reduction and the use of renewable energy - a sentiment that's highest among the coveted 18- to 34-year-old demographic. The results also showed that 27% of workers consider a potential employer's position on sustainability before accepting a job.

The power of joining existing collaborations and partnerships to drive change, set precedents and advance sustainability initiatives is clear. Considering climate change is the greatest global threat to human health, the most important question to ask is: What are you waiting for?

Learn more about how Vizient works to improve environmental sustainability, request information about CHARME and read MEPA's sustainability criteria for purchasing medical imaging equipment. Also, check out this story that answers your five biggest questions about ESG Impact Spend. And read key takeaways from the 2023 Vizient Connections Summit, which featured several sessions on environmental sustainability, in the American Journal of Medical Quality.