Sustainable healthcare is not a luxury, it’s a necessity

Governments and major corporations have long talked about the need for environmental protections and sustainability without much action to support their rhetoric. However, it seems we are now seeing a change as more major players are practicing what they preach, and we in the healthcare sector must also play our part.

Sustainability is a hot topic

Sustainable development is once again at the forefront of conversations about how we create the future we want to see for ourselves, for our children, and for our grandchildren. For too long, those of us with the ability to enable changes to our ways of working and drive the green revolution have failed to act decisively. All too often, politicians and CEOs have made grand pledges to tackle key issues of climate change, pollution and sustainability, but not matched words with action.

Signs of change?

In recent years however, there have been signs that the promises of the past have finally begun to transform into measurable action. Indeed, at the recent meeting of the G7 nations, sustainability and environmental concerns were a key theme, with the meeting apparently becoming the first net-zero G7 event ever.1 Additionally, the leaders all agreed to invest in nature, and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.2 Let’s hope that the commitments made at this year’s G7 will lead to real change.

The G7 is not alone is its approach. In 2015, the UN launched its 2030 agenda for sustainable development. All UN members signed this agreement, and we are approaching the halfway mark. At the heart of the 2030 agenda are the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which together, recognize that ending poverty and deprivation goes hand-in-hand with improving access to health and education, reducing inequalities, and spurring sustainable economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.3

An inconvenient truth…

Even with the will of governments and the binding terms of international treaties, a sustainable and green future cannot be achieved without the cooperation of large multinationals.

When we think of those industries that do the most harm to our environment, many of us would immediately point the finger at the energy and freight sectors. However, a recent article by Forbes has found that if the global healthcare sector were a country, we would be the fifth largest greenhouse gas-producing nation on the planet.4

?In fact, healthcare accounts for around 4.4% of all greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from burning fossil fuels, and the projected annual carbon footprint of healthcare is set to increase to over 3 gigatons by 2050 (to put this into context, this is the weight equivalent of around 500 Great Pyramids of Giza).5 The biggest contributor to this is the healthcare supply chain, which represents about 70% of global healthcare emissions.4

For a sector that strives to promote the health and wellbeing of our citizens this is unacceptable, and we at Janssen recognize our contribution to this uncomfortable truth. We can and we must do something about this, and we can start by taking responsibility for aspects of sustainability that we have influence over.

Health for humanity

As part the world’s largest and most broadly based healthcare company, we have a unique opportunity to apply our experience to solve some of the most difficult global sustainability and health challenges.

In 2016, Johnson and Johnson launched a 5-year sustainability programme – Health for Humanity – to advance global healthcare standards, environmental stewardship and responsible business practices by leveraging the power of our people, expertise and global partnerships.6

We set ourselves 17 ambitious targets in categories ranging from delivering healthcare access and training programs to one billion people in underserved regions, to reducing our impacts on climate change, water resources and carbon output. Of the 17 specified aims, we achieved four, greatly exceeded expectations for 12, and missed just one, which was largely as a result of the obstacles created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Playing our part

Another important aspect of the Health for Humanity agenda was reporting on our contribution to the UNSDGs. We committed to SDGs in areas that we could make a measurable difference, including improving the health workforce, women’s and children’s health, access to essential surgery, addressing global disease challenges and environmental health.

We have made excellent progress in this area so far. Of the five commitments made, our teams exceeded target in four. We marginally missed the remaining target due a shift in approach in how we are improving woman’s and children’s health, deciding to redirect efforts from community outreach to targeting the health workers on the ground who are best placed to provide services.

Maintaining the momentum

Over the last 5 years I think that our business, colleagues and partners have achieved an incredible amount, almost certainly playing a small part helping us take care of our planet and our people.

There is a lot for us to be proud of, but our commitments do not stop here. We have now begun work on the 2025 Health for Humanity programme, setting ourselves 21 new goals that reflect our commitment to advance a healthier world where the next generation is healthier than the last.6 Moreover, we have incorporated commitments to contribute to 11 of the UNSDGs, which include global health, social justice, environmental stewardship and responsible business practices, while also taking on two of the most timely of issues: epidemics and global health equity.

Climate change is a threat not only to our environment, but to our very existence. Some might suggest that we should stick to what we know – helping people – rather than trying to tackle major global issues. However, if we are destroying the planet we rely on for survival, our efforts are meaningless. As a major player in one of the world’s most resource intensive industries, we cannot stand by and wait for others to do the right thing.

We must make a stand and take the lead in our mission to create a sustainable future for the next generation.

We must act now so that we can look our children and grandchildren in the eyes and tell them “we did everything we could to save your future”.

We must ensure we set an example that others will follow.

References

1.??The G7: UK 2021. Carbon neutral summit to lead by example on sustainability. Available at: https://www.g7uk.org/carbon-neutral-g7-summit-to-lead-by-example-on-sustainability/ . Accessed July 2021.

2.??The G7: UK 2021. Leaders commit to protect planet and turbocharge global green growth. Available at: https://www.g7uk.org/g7-leaders-commit-to-protect-planet-and-turbocharge-global-green-growth/ . Accessed July 2021.

3.??UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The 17 goals. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals . Accessed July 2021.

4.??Forbes. New report serves as a road map to decarbonise healthcare. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackierocheleau/2021/04/14/new-report-serves-as-a-road-map-to-decarbonize-healthcare/ . Accessed July 2021.

5.??The history disclosure. The great pyramid of Giza: Immense size, mysterious precision and dimensions. Available at: https://www.historydisclosure.com/great-pyramid-giza-immense-size-mysterious-precision-dimensions/ . Accessed July 2021.

6.??Johnson and Johnson. 2020 Health for humanity report. Available at: https://healthforhumanityreport.jnj.com/_document/johnson-johnson-2020-health-for-humanity-report?id=00000179-eebd-d0e3-ad7b-feff30750000 . Accessed July 2021.