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Learn which companies and health systems are driving change and what health care leadership can do to encourage market transformation.

Read the profiles below and be inspired by the ways members of Health Care Without Harm’s Physician Network are taking action to promote climate-smart health care, protecting their patients from climate change and environmental threats, and advocating for a sustainable future.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine, and the Australian College of Emergency Physicians declared climate change a health emergency, urged governments to take action, and to implement policies and strategies to mitigate its impact and promote adaptation. Their announcement follows the Australian Medical Association's recent declaration of climate change a "health emergency".

Health care’s climate footprint is a report developed by Health Care Without Harm in collaboration with Arup. It provides the most comprehensive global analysis of health care’s contribution to climate change to date.

IntroductionDisinfectants are widely used in healthcare settings - they are essential to prevent cross contamination, outbreak of diseases, and hospital-acquired infections. Yet, the biocidal active substances that are so effective at disinfecting products, surfaces, and skin also pose a variety of potential hazards to human health and the environment. Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is coordinating the SAICM 2.0 project, which aims to combat these unintended hazards by promoting safer, more environmentally friendly disinfectants without compromising on hygienic and occupational health standards.By expanding procurement and health professionals’ knowledge of the health and environmental impacts of disinfectants, they can align their procurement criteria with healthcare’s healing mission and reduce the risks associated with disinfectants. The SAICM 2.0 project, financed by the German Environmental Agency, builds upon the pioneering work of the Viennese Database for Disinfectants (WIDES) and aims to broaden its application worldwide.Goals of the projectThis...

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is coordinating the SAICM 2.0 project, which aims to combat these unintended hazards by promoting safer, more environmentally friendly disinfectants.

HCWH Europe’s project helped develop the Mediterranean as a best-practice region for low-carbon healthcare in Europe supported by progressive environment and health policies.

Contact: Andreea ZotincaQuick links: Resources | Project update | ParticipantsPlastics have become indispensable in the healthcare sector and they are facilitating the work of healthcare professionals all over the world. The low price of plastic and its relative ease of manufacturing has led, however, to overuse of plastic products and packaging, often in situations where they are not needed. Plastics are also rarely recycled, especially plastic-made medical materials - this is concerning because plastic, from production, to use and disposal, can be harmful to both human health and the environment.Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Europe is conducting the project Towards plastic-free healthcare in Europe, with funding from the Flotilla Foundation. Through this project, HCWH Europe aims to transform the use of plastic in hospitals and assist healthcare facilities in their transition to a circular economy model and reducing unnecessary plastic use.Key objectivesThe long-term objective...

Health Care Without Harm has developed this webpage as a resource center for our partners around the world, for members of our Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network, and for the broader community engaged at the intersection of environment, climate change and health.

With the creation of the Healthcare Market Transformation Network, we aim to address the need for harmonised sustainable procurement criteria that are tailored to products and services purchased by the healthcare sector.

Documents, guidelines, and resources to guide your sustainable procurement.

Featuring women doctors, nurses, and health workers as healthcare climate action champions, Southeast Asia amplifies the call for the sector's collective engagement to decarbonize the health facilities, advance climate action in the region, and prevent future pandemics.Share this video onlinePart of this initiative is to get an overview of the healthcare climate action interest in the region, if you are inclined to participate or learn more about this movement, please answer this short survey:Become a Healthcare Climate Action Champion!This video was made possible by the participation of Global Green and Healthy Hospital (GGHH) Members in Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and HCWH Partner in Australia, Griffith University.