Last autumn, the Regional Council of the Capital Region of Denmark adopted an ambitious climate target. The target is to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The Green2030 programme has been developed to help in this ambition. It contains a roadmap with 24 climate actions to help reach the overall goals.
"We're facing one of the biggest challenges of our time, and the Capital Region of Denmark is taking a big step forward to a more sustainable future. With the new climate target and the Green2030 programme, we are leading the way in significantly reducing carbon emissions while at the same time improving the healthcare system".
"Our focus is on creating tangible results through collaboration and innovation across hospitals and corporate centres. We're determined to reach our goals and ensure a better future for generations to come," says Line Ervolder (Conservative), Chair of the Environment and Climate Committee, Capital Region of Denmark".
Fourteen climate actions are underway
Fourteen climate actions are already underway, and they all have strong focus on hospitals and clinics, as well as on other parts of the Capital Region organisation. The programme will be continuously developed and new climate actions will be added based on new knowledge and experience.
One of the climate actions being run out at hospitals is to reduce medicine consumption, with the launch of seven initiatives.
"Medicine consumption in hospitals has a large climate impact, but medicine production also has a significant impact on the environment, for example through wastewater discharges in the countries where medicines are manufactured".
"Therefore, any measures taken by the region to reduce waste or overuse of medicine will also reduce this environmental impact. Furthermore, some methods for delivering the medicine can be more climate-friendly, such as powder instead of spray or pill instead of IV," says Rasmus Nielsen, Head of Green and Innovative Procurement, Centre for Financial Affairs, Capital Region of Denmark".
New initiatives and targeted objectivesSystematic work in the areas of energy, food, transport and waste resources, carbon reduction and more recycling has been going on for a number of years. Several positive results have been achieved.
For example, a 70% reduction in carbon emissions from hospital energy consumption has already been achieved. Much of the reduction is because hospitals are receiving energy from greener sources, but the hospitals' own energy efficiency projects are contributing as well.
Hospital kitchens have also helped to reduce carbon consumption by reducing disposable packaging and buying more climate-friendly ingredients.
Climate accounts 2023: A baseline for the futureThe 2023 climate accounts will serve as a baseline for the coming years' efforts, and they disclose the region's total carbon footprint at just over 1 million tonnes of CO2e. Most of the emissions come from procurement and consumption in operating clinics at hospitals, as well as construction and renovation. The climate accounts have been compiled with improved methods, making them a solid base for future measurements.
Stronger collaboration across regions
In December 2023, Danish Regions adopted a joint regional strategy for green hospitals, with the Capital Region to take the lead on sustainable construction, laboratories and diagnostics. This strategy will help promote knowledge sharing and scaling of green initiatives across regions.
Contact
Capital Region Press: +45 7020 9588