Bupa has announced a partnership with global non-governmental organisation (NGO), Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), in a move to reduce the global environmental impacts of healthcare and create greater sustainable care.
Bupa said that by partnering with Health Care Without Harm, it is aiming to scale local, on-the-ground action that will tackle emissions and while reducing the environmental impact of healthcare.
That will include a focus on single-use items, patient travel, hospital emissions and anaesthetic gases.
Health Care Without Harm is an international non-governmental organisation that works to transform healthcare worldwide to reduce environmental impact, and become a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice.
With regional offices on four continents and partners around the world, Health Care Without Harm has been involved in the global sustainable health care movement for nearly 30 years.
The partnership with Health Care Without Harm builds on existing collaborations between Bupa and a range of stakeholders including businesses, policymakers, NGOs and philanthropy organisations, which aim to accelerate action towards a sustainable future.
Bupa said it will share best practice, new insights and practical steps that can help achieve critical change at pace with HCWH’s Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network, which represents over 70,000 hospitals and health centres across 80 countries.
Bupa has included sustainability in its corporate strategy, and in 2022, launched its sustainability strategy, outlining its ambition to help tackle the challenge, and ‘making a better world’ for colleagues, customers, communities and wider society.
The Bupa strategy has a clear net zero goal by 2040.
Anne Lepetit, chief medical officer at Bupa, said: “Joining forces with Health Care Without Harm – one of the leading global voices on people and planet health – presents a huge opportunity to address some of the biggest sustainability challenges within our sector.
“Over the next three years, we’ll work together in Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region to accelerate the transition to sustainable healthcare – reducing the environmental impact of care that we fund and deliver and supporting others to do the same.”
Gary Cohen, president and founder of Health Care Without Harm, said: “There is unprecedented opportunity and significant momentum within the health care sector to reduce its impact on the climate crisis and transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon, resilient future.
“We must continue to work together to create opportunities to lead the way to a society grounded in health and equity.
“By partnering with Bupa, we can further ramp up our efforts to drive long-term, meaningful progress on this agenda.”
Bupa will share updates on the partnership and key outcomes in the coming months.