Invited Perspective: Life Cycle Analysis: A Potentially Transformative Tool for Lowering Health Care’s Carbon Footprint

Hess, Jeremy; Salas, Renee N

doi:10.1289/ehp9630

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…According to existing research, a life cycle analysis (LCA) is the most widely used method to conduct a carbon footprint analysis. LCA assesses the environmental impact of a IJCHM 36,5 product or activity by analysing its entire life cycle (Hill, 2013) and has been used to estimate the carbon footprint in several industries, including tourism (Filimonau et al, 2013), winemaking (Ferrara and De Feo, 2018) and health care (Hess and Salas, 2021). However, hospitality scholars have questioned the adoption of a full-scale LCA to estimate hotel properties' carbon footprint, citing the number of activities involved in hotel operations and difficulties in gathering accurate data for all such processes (Filimonau et al, 2011;Demeter et al, 2021).…”

Section: Literature Review 21 Carbon Footprint Analysis In the Accomm...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of accommodation providers' carbon footprint in Australia: motivations and challenges

Apolloni

Volgger

Pforr

2023

IJCHM

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Purpose As net-zero pledges gain momentum globally, more and more accommodation businesses seek to quantify their carbon emissions. Building on Chan (2021), this study aims to explore what drives Australian accommodation providers to measure the carbon footprint of their businesses and what barriers hinder them from doing so. Design/methodology/approach Empirical data were collected by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with owners, senior executives, consultants, certification bodies and hotel management companies. The set of interviews represented different segments of the hotel industry and various accommodation types. Data were analysed with thematic analysis. Findings The major drivers for adopting carbon footprint analysis are as follows: the analysis being perceived as an important contribution to a company's corporate responsibility, the owner or manager's environmental concern, the assessment being a requirement for obtaining an eco-certification and the business benefits associated with implementing the initiative. The major barriers hindering adoption include the following: difficulties with data gathering, the lack of a standard methodology, a lengthy decision-making process and a lack of resources. Research limitations/implications Based on the empirical findings and three theories on ecological responsiveness, this study develops a conceptual framework for implementing carbon footprint analysis in the accommodation context and recommends strategies to increase the adoption of carbon footprint analysis. Originality/value This study responds to Chan and Hsu's (2016) call for further research on carbon footprint in the hotel context and represents the first attempt to explore the drivers and barriers specifically associated with implementing carbon footprint analysis in the accommodation sector.

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Section: Literature Review 21 Carbon Footprint Analysis In the Accomm...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of accommodation providers' carbon footprint in Australia: motivations and challenges

Apolloni

Volgger

Pforr

2023

IJCHM

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“…Our Green and Clean Sustainability Team has shared to lowering healthcare's carbon footprint [14,15]. As clinicians, we are charged with encouraging our patients to make healthy choices in response to the climate crisis, although many of our patients, especially those who are underserved, are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions but are disproportionately affected by health effects related to climate change.…”

Section: Local Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Sustainability Practices in the Outpatient Pediatric Setting

Yun,

Kirby,

Bob

et al. 2023

Yale J Biol Med

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Healthcare systems intend to address health needs of a community, but unfortunately may also inadvertently exacerbate the climate crisis through increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Clinical medicine has not evolved to promote sustainability practices. New attention to the enormous impact of healthcare systems on GHG emissions and an escalating climate crisis has resulted in some institutions taking proactive measures to mitigate these negative effects. Some healthcare systems have made large-scale changes to conserve energy and materials, resulting in significant monetary savings. In this paper, we share our experience with developing an interdisciplinary work "green" team within our outpatient general pediatrics practice to implement changes, albeit small, to reduce our workplace carbon footprint. We share our experience with reducing paper usage by consolidating vaccine information sheets into a single use information sheet with quick response (QR) codes. We also share ideas for all workplaces to raise awareness of sustainability practices and to foster new ideas to address the climate crisis in both our professional and personal realms. These can help promote hope for the future and shift the collective mindset about climate action.

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“…This creates a "cradle to grave" evaluation of the environmental impact of the study subject. 33,34 LCA is well established for use in medical systems, [35][36][37][38] and has been used to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical production and usage 39 as well as surgical procedures and processes. 19,20,[22][23][24][25] Multiple validated techniques to perform LCA are described, including process LCA (evaluating the individual components of a process), Economic Input-Output LCA (EIO-LCA), or hybrid LCA which incorporates both techniques.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This creates a “cradle to grave” evaluation of the environmental impact of the study subject 33,34 . LCA is well established for use in medical systems, 35–38 and has been used to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical production and usage 39 as well as surgical procedures and processes 19,20,22–25 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of Adult Tonsillectomy: Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Comparison of Techniques

Meiklejohn,

Khan,

Nuñez

et al. 2023

The Laryngoscope

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ObjectivesTo quantify and compare the cost and environmental impact of different techniques for adult tonsillectomy surgery, and to identify target areas for impact reduction.MethodsFifteen consecutive adult tonsillectomy surgeries were prospectively randomized to one of three tonsillectomy techniques: cold, monopolar electrocautery, or low‐temperature radiofrequency ablation (Coblation). Life cycle assessment was used to comprehensively evaluate the environmental impact of study surgeries. Outcomes assessed included multiple measures of environmental impact, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and cost. Environmental impact measures were analyzed to identify highest‐yield areas for improvement, and outcomes were compared between surgical techniques using statistical analysis.ResultsGHG emissions for cold, monopolar electrocautery, and Coblation techniques were 157.6, 184.5, and 204.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kgCO2‐eq) per surgery, respectively, with costs totaling $472.51, $619.10, and $715.53 per surgery, respectively. Regardless of surgery technique, anesthesia medications and disposable equipment contributed most to environmental harm. Cold technique demonstrated reduced environmental impact related to disposable surgical equipment in the categories of greenhouse gas emissions, acidification of soil and water, eutrophication of air, ozone depletion, release of carcinogenic, and non‐carcinogenic toxic substances, and respiratory pollutant production (p < 0.05 for all comparisons with other techniques).ConclusionWithin the boundaries of operating room processes, cold technique minimizes cost and environmental impact of adult tonsillectomy surgery, with statistical significance noted in the impact of disposable surgical equipment. Areas of highest potential for improvement identified include reducing use of disposable equipment and collaboration with the Anesthesiology care team to streamline medication use.Level of EvidenceLevel 2, randomized trial Laryngoscope, 2023

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Invited Perspective: Life Cycle Analysis: A Potentially Transformative Tool for Lowering Health Care’s Carbon Footprint

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Analysis of accommodation providers' carbon footprint in Australia: motivations and challenges

Analysis of accommodation providers' carbon footprint in Australia: motivations and challenges

Promoting Sustainability Practices in the Outpatient Pediatric Setting

Environmental Impact of Adult Tonsillectomy: Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Comparison of Techniques

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