Sustainable Procurement

Sustainability in Procurement

Healthcare supply chains have a significant environmental impact, from production through distribution, and account for over 60% of healthcare’s greenhouse gas emissions (see Health Care Without Harm, 2019; NHS, 2022; Newcastle Hospitals, 2022). Supply chains also contribute to social injustices, including failure to uphold workers’ rights (see Lofti et al, 2021).  

Sustainable procurement therefore presents a critical opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the broader environmental impact associated with healthcare’s supply chains, as well as contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (see UNEP, 2022). 

Sustainable procurement was identified as a priority for the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice Leadership Table to address in its second term (2022-2025). The Sustainable Procurement Working Group was established to identify how the Community of Practice could advance sustainable procurement across TAHSN. 

TAHSN Engagement on Sustainable Procurement 

Sustainable procurement was identified as a priority for the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice Leadership Table to address in its second term (2022-2025). The Sustainable Procurement Working Group was established to identify how the Community of Practice could advance sustainable procurement across TAHSN.  

The Working Group has been engaging stakeholders to assess the current state of and interest in sustainable procurement among TAHSN hospitals and their procurement partners, which has resulted in:  

• TAHSN Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Symposium on Sustainable Procurement: On May 19, 2023 the Working Group hosted an event that brough together TAHSN CFOs with the aim to discuss the opportunity for TAHSN to help define the direction of travel for sustainable procurement in the healthcare sector, and to identify specific opportunities and challenges to spread and scale across the network. 

• For more details on the presentations and sustainable procurement case studies, see the event summary and slides. 

• TAHSN Statement on Sustainable Procurement: The CFO Symposium identified strong support for collaborative movement forward, including the development of a collective commitment to address the environmental impact of purchasing as healthcare organizations. Following the event, the TAHSN Statement on Sustainable Procurement was developed by the Working Group and then endorsed by TAHSN Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) at the TAHSN CEO Table. 

• Identification of opportunities: The Working Group has been working to identify opportunities for sustainable procurement and supply use across TAHSN, which resulted in two pilots detailed below. 

TAHSN Pilots

In 2024, the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice decided to implement multi-hospital pilots to evaluate two sustainability opportunities:  

• Reusable Textiles: In partnership with Ecotex, four TAHSN organizations (MGH, SHN, Sunnybrook, NYGH) trialed reusable textiles. Each site selected textile(s) to trial, including surgical gowns (3 organizations), isolation gowns (1 organization, and drapes (1 organization). A common evaluation framework and tools were developed to evaluate experience, including clinical, logistics, administration & change management, and cost. This pilot is being completed and results will be reported to the Leadership Table. 

• Reducing Unnecessary Glove Use: Led by Dr. Jeff Powis, Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) at Micheal Garron Hospital, three TAHSN organizations (MGH, SHN, Holland Bloorview) implemented a pilot initiative to reduce unnecessary glove use, which included an educational intervention, followed by a Quality Improvement intervention on a subset of units at each hospital. MGH provided a toolkit of materials for implementation and evaluation, which the other sites were able to tailor to meet their needs. This pilot is being completed and results will be reported to the Leadership Table. 

Working Group