European Society of Radiology, Health Care Without Harm Europe and others join forces with Philips at ECR 2023 and beyond to accelerate research, collaboration and education related to decarbonizing radiology
If healthcare were a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest by way of CO₂ emissions, accounting for over 4% of the global total. According to the 2022 Future Health Index global report, only 4% of healthcare leaders worldwide were prioritizing environmental sustainability in 2021. After just one year, that figure jumped to 24%, a nearly seven-fold increase. As an industry, healthcare systems, health technology companies, and other stakeholders have a responsibility to act. While key stakeholders worldwide are beginning to recognize and prioritize the need, a deeper and broader understanding of radiology’s impact on the planet is urgently required to deliver more sustainable and equitable care. To help achieve this, Philips has prioritized efforts to partner with public and private customers, peers and industry-leading organizations to help reduce environmental impact.
As part of this new alliance, the European Society of Radiology (ESR) will co-host a Sustainability Zone in Philips’ Blue Level exposition area at ECR 2023 with the support of Health Care Without Harm, a global movement for environmentally responsible healthcare. The interactive experience is intended to promote awareness of radiology’s contribution to global CO₂ emissions and inspire action by connecting people, projects and resources around the world. By asking visitors to donate 10 minutes of time to share and discuss their own efforts, challenges and best practices, the Sustainability Zone at ECR will serve as global accelerator for research, collaboration and education related to decarbonizing radiology. Philips will aggregate and share these inputs with all parties who opt-in to help further ideation across the global radiology community.
“Healthcare depends on a healthy planet. Care providers and care technology companies have a responsibility to act,” says Robert Metzke, global head of sustainability at Philips. “We have been carbon neutral in operations since 2020 and continue to innovate and develop scalable solutions that enable our customers to reduce emissions and deliver more sustainable healthcare. These efforts go hand in hand with initiatives by industry leaders such as the European Society of Radiology and Healthcare Without Harm Europe. Together, we can help to further encourage sustainable healthcare practices worldwide.”
Source: Company Press Release
