Sustainability should be part of a practice’s business plan. Potential costs and benefits to each action need to be considered. All to often practice managers want to reduce emissions by focusing on non-clinical emissions but clinical and non-clinical emissions should be understood including the costs effectiveness in pulling levers to address sustainability.
40% of the emission footprint of a practice is due to running practice operations. Although the non-clinical carbon footprint of practices is relatively small, as role models we should embed advocacy within all aspects of practice operations.
The hotspots in primary care for non-clinical carbon emissions depend on the size, location building type and services provided. But the major hotspots will include:
With limits to how much one can reduce a practice’s footprint, purchasing carbon offsets is an option to help move to net zero emissions. Many companies offer offsets with a range of validation and verification standards. Offsets are not equivalent to genuine emission reductions, but they do put a price on carbon, placing it clearly on the balance sheet. As a practice progressively decarbonises, this should also be reflected in a reduced need for offsets.
In a world moving to net zero, carbon becomes an obligatory metric and carbon literacy an imperative. To integrate sustainability into practice operations, it is necessary to perform an audit of the practice’s carbon emissions to set a benchmark and a basis for future monitoring.
Although the non-clinical carbon footprint of practices is relatively small, as role models we should embed advocacy within all aspects of practice operations. Sustainability is not just a series of tick boxes, but rather involves strong leadership, education and cultural change within the workplace, bringing colleagues and staff on the journey. Appointing a ‘climate champion’ or ‘green team’ and having regular reviews of interim targets supports the process of change.
