Roadmap for ecological planning of the healthcare system

Ecosystem

24/05/2023

The climate, energy and ecological emergencies require an unprecedented acceleration of collective measures and their steeringfor the drastic reduction of the environmental footprint, also in healthcare sector activities. For the first time in French history,ecological planning has been entrusted to the Prime Minister.

A unprecedented steering committee structured around seven themes, was set up on May 22, 2023 for the healthcare sector (sanitary and medico-social)with the aim of controlling its environmental impacts and ensuring the ecological transformation of the sector.

The health and social care sectors require ecological planning

The healthcare system has its share of responsibility for accelerating the rise in global temperature, having impacts on all ecosystems and human health:

  • The French healthcare system accounts for over 8% of national greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. nearly 50 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent).
  • The impact of healthcare provision accounts for around 45% of these 50 million tonnes. Medicines and medical devices represent the remaining 55%.

The ecological transition in healthcare is a sustainable healthcare approach favoring the integration of economically viable, socially equitable and ecologically sustainable measures that promote health and well-being.

Among the roadmap's seven themes, the last one focuses on the environmental impact of digital, of which several commitments have been identified:

  • Implementing an ecolabel to promote the circular economy;
  • Favoring the purchase of eco-designed devices;
  • Fight in particular against "obesinware" and promote the uninstallation of unused services and the cleaning of servers;
  • Promote eco-design approaches and encourage the development of software that is less
    energy-efficient software;
  • Calculate and monitor the environmental impacts of digital healthcare services (eco-scores for healthcare applications);
  • Fight obsolescence by proposing not to renew equipment that is still functional
  • Control the energy consumption of data centers and certain medical equipment;
  • Measure and control the volumes of data exchanged;
  • Evaluate the real health benefit of an innovative digital device before implementing it.

Find the press release from the ecological planning of the healthcare system from the Ministry of Health and Prevention;

Find the roadmap for ecological planning of the healthcare system