Assessing waste and carbon impacts of health system at a regional level

Abstract

Quantifying direct and indirect (supply chain) impacts is necessary to understand the full scope of impacts of health systems to inform strategies for making healthcare environmentally sustainable. While many global and national supply chain assessments exist, regional assessments are lacking despite the significant support these health systems offer to regional communities. In this study, we use multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis to assess GHG emissions and waste embodied in the supply chains of a local health district in rural New South Wales (NSW), Australia, by integrating economic data on health expenditure and physical data on carbon emissions and waste. We find that over 76.8 % of the carbon footprint is embodied in the local health district's supply chains, while 40 % of the waste footprint is from its supply chain dependencies. The findings of this research can inform the district's sustainability strategy for reducing its carbon and waste footprint.