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The Sustainable Healthcare Podcast

The Sustainable Healthcare Podcast

By: Green Innovation Group A/S
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Learn the dos and don'ts of green innovation from experienced industry leaders. Your hosts are Frederik Van Deurs and Joachim Almdal.Copyright Green Innovation Group A/S Economics
Episodes
  • 091 SHC - the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition - Fiona Adshead, Keith Moore and Nathalie Preiswerk
    Oct 27 2025
    Show Notes — Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC): From Care Pathways to Greener Clinical Trials Guests:
    • Fiona — Chair, Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC)
    • Keith Moore — Programme Coordinator, SHC
    • Natalie — Community of Practice Moderator, SHC
    Host: Frederik Dam van Deurs (Green Innovation Group & Care Pathway Consulting) Episode in a nutshell We sit down with the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (SHC) to unpack what it really takes to decarbonize healthcare—both at the level of everyday care pathways and the specialized world of clinical trials. We cover SHC’s origin story with the NHS, why scope 3 (supply chain) matters, how SHC evolved into a not-for-profit platform connecting public and private actors, and the tools and frameworks helping systems act now. Natalie also previews the first in-person conference of the Sustainable Clinical Trials – Community of Practice in London on 4 November 2025—a highly interactive day shaping the community’s 2026 agenda. What we cover
    • SHC origin & mission: From a UK roundtable (2011) to a global, not-for-profit platform bridging health systems and industry on sustainability.
    • Why scope 3 is the big lever: Pharma and med-tech footprints, and how collaborative forums beat procurement-only dialogues.
    • Three universal priorities for greener care:
      1. Shift care closer to the patient,
      2. Use digital tools to empower patients and providers,
      3. Double down on prevention.
    • Prevention in practice: Partnering with people, designing prevention into systems (e.g., vaccination, slowing CKD progression), and supporting self-management (e.g., smart inhalers).
    • Care pathways vs. clinical trials: Why trials deserve their own framework (CROs, labs, regulators, logistics) even if they mirror care pathways.
    • Where trial emissions often sit: Participant travel, site/monitor travel, labs, and investigational product logistics—plus the promise (and limits) of decentralization.
    • Start here: Assess your own trial portfolio and therapeutic areas—hotspots and best levers vary with the carbon intensity of the product/API and trial design.
    • Hope, pragmatism & momentum: System optimization saves costs and resources and cuts CO₂e—progress doesn’t have to feel like sacrifice.
    Key takeaways
    • Systems thinking wins: Cross-sector collaboration is essential; no single stakeholder can decarbonize healthcare alone.
    • Measure to move: Practical calculators and worked examples help teams find hotspots and act fast.
    • Prevention is premium care: The most sustainable pathway is the one where patients don’t get sick—but it requires genuine partnership with people.
    Memorable moments
    • “The most sustainable patient journey is the one where the patient never gets sick.”
    • “Clinical trials are like care pathways with extra moving parts—CROs, labs, ethics, regulators—so they need their own rulebook.”
    • “Even if climate isn’t your prime driver, system optimization cuts waste and saves money—why wouldn’t you do it?”
    Links & resources
    • SHC COP Conference (London, 4 Nov 2025): shcoalition.org/cop-conference/
    • Sustainable Healthcare Coalition (main site): shcoalition.org
    • LinkedIn Group – Sustainable Clinical Trials: Community of Practice: linkedin.com/groups/13149469/
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    33 mins
  • 090 Data-Driven Decarbonization of Danish Hospitals with Thea and Rasmus
    Sep 25 2025
    Data-Driven Decarbonization of Danish Hospitals — with Rasmus & Thea Summary

    How do Denmark’s regions actually use data to steer the green transition in hospitals—and what does it change on the ground?

    In this episode, Rasmus (Region Midtjylland) and Thea (Region Syddanmark) unpack why procurement dominates the footprint in Denmark, how a “climate management model” guides reductions, and what happens when you move from single-use to multi-use—or simply stop buying low-value items altogether.

    We also touch on tricky boundary topics like ambulances (listen to the deep dive we did with David from falck in episode 056), staff/patient transport, and why energy is a smaller lever in Denmark than in many other countries.

    Guests:
    • Rasmus — Center for Sustainable Hospitals, Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland). Builds the sustainability data system and evaluates environmental impacts of change projects.
    • Thea — Region of Southern Denmark (Region Syddanmark). Leads carbon baseline work and helps prioritize, start, and track decarbonization projects.
    What we cover
    • Why procurement (the “stuff we buy”) is the main lever in Danish hospitals
    • Energy & transport in Denmark: why grid mix and modern buildings downplay energy, and what’s in/out of scope on transport
    • The Climate Management Model: back-casting to net-zero and allocating reductions across strategies
    • The reduction hierarchy in practice: avoid → switch to multi-use → supplier requirements
    • A simple starter win: phasing out disposable exam table paper (“lejepapir”) and measuring the CO₂ impact
    • Change management realities: engaging clinicians and aligning purchasing pathways
    Key takeaways
    • In Denmark, procurement drives the footprint more than energy or (in-scope) transport.
    • Start at the top of the ladder: avoid use where clinically acceptable, then shift to multi-use, then green the supply chain.
    • A shared climate management model turns scattered projects into a coherent path to net-zero—and makes results comparable across regions.
    Resources (DK)
    • Common Sustainability Strategy for Danish Regions – includes the focus on data-driven progress (PDF):
      regioner.dk/media/0mapejdn/en-faellesregional-strategi-for-groenne-hospitaler.pdf

    • Strategy for “Grønne hospitaler” – background, initiatives, and updates:
      regioner.dk/regional-udvikling/groenne-hospitaler/

    • Capital Region video – Klimastyringsmodellen: et værktøj til monitorering og retning (how the climate management model works):
      regionh.dk/til-fagfolk/klima-og-miljoe/groen-omstilling-af-hospitalerne/co2-indsatser…/klimastyringsmodellen-et-vaerktoej-til-monitorering-og-retning.aspx
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    30 mins
  • 089 - Koen Kas transforming healthcare and clinical trials
    Sep 9 2025
    Prof. Dr. Koen Kas—healthcare futurist and founder of Healthskouts—joins us to explore how “Delight Thinking” and 24/7 digital twins can shift care from reactive sickcare to proactive health.

    We unpack real-world models like Best Buy’s at-home monitoring, and how redesigning care and going remote-by-default can also reduce emissions.

    Koen dives into N=1 clinical trials, federated learning, and Tim Berners-Lee’s Solid personal data pods—and shares insights from his new book, Epic, on building healthspan and “fullness.”

    Check out Koen's work on:

    https://koenkas.com/
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
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