Seeing the bigger picture … and taking action together!

Oct 21, 2021 - Reading time 3-5 minutes

Human health and environmental health go hand in hand. For our global population to be truly healthy, we need a healthy planet to live on. At present, the lives and livelihoods of millions around the world are under threat from climate change. And one of the key contributors? The world’s healthcare systems, which account for over 4% of global CO₂ emissions [1]. That’s more than the aviation or shipping sectors!

As an industry, we have a responsibility to act. Because by taking better care of the planet, we can take better care of people.

Going beyond our own operations

At Philips, we are teaming up with our customers and suppliers to innovate solutions that improve people’s health and well-being while respecting the planet. For instance, by rethinking business models, driving the adoption of circular practices, and applying EcoDesign principles – including improved energy efficiency – to all our products.

We have been carbon-neutral in our day-to-day operations since 2020, and aim to source 75% of our energy from renewables by 2025. And now we are stepping up our efforts to scale our learnings with our supply partners, where the overall environmental impact can even be much greater.

We believe that, by working together with our partners across the value chain, we can reduce our joint carbon footprint, cutting CO₂ emissions in line with a 1.5 °C global warming scenario.

Let’s join forces to reduce healthcare emissions

As a purpose-driven company, we are conscious of our responsibility towards society. That’s why we’re calling upon our customers, peers and partners to join forces with us in our drive to decarbonize healthcare. So that coming generations inherit a healthier planet, and healthcare has a more sustainable and resilient future.

[1] Health Care Without Harm (2019). Healthcare’s climate footprint: How the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action (p.22). https://noharm-global.org/documents/health-care-climate-footprint-report