Audrey Yu - Social Impact Department Senior Editor
Link: https://rdcu.be/c6S1m
Date Published: 06 June, 2022
The concern for the climate and environment has been a long-standing, ongoing conversation. In the article, "Environmental Commitment of Large US Publicly Traded Companies Producing Healthcare Equipment: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study,” by Francesco Castaganini et. al, a study examines the attitude of US healthcare equipment companies toward environmental sustainability.
Studies show the healthcare sector contributes 9-10% of the US carbon footprint and 4-5% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Castagnini et al, 2022). Furthermore, the predominant source of carbon emission is attributable to the manufacturing of goods (Castagnini et al, 2022). The study compared three groups of US publicly traded companies: companies producing healthcare equipment, companies in the healthcare sector excluding those producing healthcare equipment, and companies overall. Each group is composed of 20 of the largest companies based on market capitalization in their respective groups (market capitalization - the total value of all a company's shares of stock). The companies in the healthcare sector and companies overall were used as control groups in the study. The study compared the three groups in four areas: year and method of dissemination, adhesion to environmental standards, policies/quantitative targets/tracking, and CDP evaluations (CDP or Carbon Disclosure Project -a snapshot of a company's environmental disclosure and performance).
The results reveal several shortcomings in healthcare equipment-producing companies. While the companies in the healthcare sectors and companies overall adhered to environmental standards 95% and 100% of the time, healthcare equipment-producing companies only adhered to environmental standards 55% of the time (Castagnini et al, 2022). Additionally, healthcare equipment-producing companies' quantitative measures/tracking of carbon, water, and renewable energy management was the least accurate and had the lowest CDP evaluations (Castagnini et al, 2022). It is evident that among the control groups, US healthcare equipment-producing companies are less committed to environmental sustainability.
As mentioned before, carbon emission in the healthcare sector is largely attributable to the manufacturing process of goods. I think it would be interesting to see this study be expanded to pharmaceuticals and chemical production, potentially comparing environmental sustainability between medical equipment and pharmaceutical production. Another interesting point made in the study is the limitations.The limitations revolved around how collecting objective data was difficult because environment-related data were poorly reported and organized. These limitations bring to attention the idea that the healthcare field needs to be more attentive to its environmental impact. The healthcare field is responsible for promoting and preserving health. And, what plays a more significant role in our health than the environment around us? From pollution and natural disasters to nuisances like allergies, the climate and environment are deeply engraved into our health and well-being. For the healthcare field to advocate health, it must also value the significance of environmental sustainability.
References
Castagnini, F., Castagnini, L., Donati, D., & Traina, F. (2022, June 6). Environmental commitment of large US publicly traded companies producing healthcare equipment: A cross-sectional comparative study - environmental science and Pollution Research. SpringerLink. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://rdcu.be/c6S1m .
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