Australia’s health sector produces twice as much carbon emissions as aviation. But as a medical devices supplier’s marketing director and sustainability lead explains, our health system may also heal the environment.
When we think of the circular economy, health care isn’t necessarily the first thing that springs to mind. Of course, every sector has its role to play, but the resources, manufacturing and agriculture industries are far bigger contributors of waste. In some ways, therefore, it’s understandable that the health system didn’t feature prominently in Australia’s Circular Economy Framework,1 launched by the Australian Government in December 2024.
The circular economy
Every year, however, Australia’s health sector is estimated to produce about 7% of the country’s carbon emissions2 — that’s twice as much as aviation. It can also be estimated that Australia’s hospitals produce nearly 170,000 tonnes of solid waste every year, or about 6% of Australia’s total. Some 85% of this hospital waste is non-hazardous and comparable to household waste, ending up in landfills across the country. In short, sustainable practices that minimise waste ought to be business as usual.
With a growing appreciation of how climate change and environmental degradation impact human health and wellbeing, they are rapidly becoming as embedded in hospital practice as infection control. Healthcare professionals are hugely aware that our health system has a vital contribution to make in mitigating the impact it has on the environment.
In 2018, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) called on the federal government to help facilitate greater sustainability in health care. Since then, the AMA has entered a memorandum of understanding with grassroots campaign organisation Doctors for the Environment Australia, aiming to work together to mitigate the severe health impacts of climate change.
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Australia can leverage its strengths in medical technology innovation by investing to create sustainable alternatives to disposable healthcare products, reducing the burden of medical waste …
‘Medical science’ and ‘transport’ are priority areas identified for targeted investment through the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund (NRF).
… innovating towards reusable or biodegradable medical devices can significantly mitigate environmental impacts while addressing the rising demand for healthcare services.
— Australia’s Circular Economy Framework
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Product stewardship
The shift toward a circular economy in health care requires a fundamental rethink of how we manage medical products throughout their life cycle. Product stewardship involves managing products’ effects on the environment and health through taking responsibility for their full life cycle, from manufacture to disposal. In 2022–23, Australia’s then Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek, added plastics in health care to the product stewardship priority list, reflecting both the need and opportunity to improve sustainability in our health system.
Encouraging, of course, but it must be said that a product-by-product move to stewardship reflects a piecemeal approach that is out of step with international comparisons. Indeed, Australia is one of the only OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries that is yet to develop a comprehensive stewardship framework. The European Union, with its Waste Framework Directive, holds manufacturers and importers accountable for the full life cycle of their products. Australia lacks similar comprehensive legislation.
Increasingly, however, in the absence of significant government incentives, policy or regulation, an ecosystem of manufacturers and products is evolving to fill the void and provide proactive hospitals with the means to become contributing stakeholders in the burgeoning circular economy — and this isn’t just with regard to plastic packaging.
Single-use sustainability
Single-use and single-patient use medical devices are essential to providing quality patient care, but many of them unnecessarily end up in landfill when the technology exists to reprocess them. The environmental impact of wasted material that has reusable potential going into landfill is not just limited to what goes in the ground. New devices must be manufactured, packaged, distributed — all of which have an emissions impact — only to also eventually find their way to landfill. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention garments highlight this untapped potential.
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Example: DVT prevention garments
DVT prevention garments are non-critical devices, with TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) registration in place and reprocessing methods that meet all the necessary infection control and product quality standards. With proper infrastructure and education, single-patient use medical devices like DVT garments represent low-hanging fruit for hospitals to immediately start increasing their efficiency and value for money while making an impact on their sustainability objectives.
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There is an end-to-end solution that handles every aspect of the reprocessing cycle — from staff education and onsite collection, to environmentally friendly, chemical-free, high-level disinfection at a TGA-registered reprocessing centre, to redelivery of reprocessed devices. What’s more, implementing sustainable practices can be cost-effective, with many solutions achieving cost neutrality or even generating savings alongside their sustainability benefits.
Takeaway
Australia’s healthcare sector stands at a critical juncture. With our hospitals generating 170,000 tonnes of waste annually and contributing 7% of national carbon emissions — twice that of aviation — the need for sustainable practices has never been more urgent. While we await comprehensive national stewardship legislation, the opportunity for immediate action remains clear.
Healthcare facilities don’t need to wait for policy changes to begin their sustainability journey. Solutions like reprocessed DVT garments and other non-critical devices are readily available today, offering immediate environmental benefits while often achieving cost neutrality or even savings. These aren’t just small wins — they’re proof that environmental responsibility and fiscal prudence can work hand in hand.
At the same time, policymakers and procurement agencies have a crucial role in accelerating this transition. By updating procurement frameworks to prioritise products with established reprocessing pathways and removing regulatory barriers that prevent the adoption of TGA-registered reprocessed devices, they can create an environment where sustainable choices become the default, not the exception. The regulatory landscape should encourage, not hinder, facilities that are ready to meet sustainability targets.
The circular economy in health care represents more than an environmental imperative. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate that excellence in patient care and environmental stewardship are complementary goals, not competing priorities. Every reprocessed device represents both waste diverted from landfill and emissions avoided from manufacturing new products.
The time for incremental change has passed. As we move forward, healing people must become synonymous with healing the environment. Australia’s healthcare sector has both the capability and responsibility to lead this transformation, proving that a sustainable health system isn’t just possible — it’s essential for the wellbeing of current and future generations.
1. Australia’s Circular Economy Framework. DCCEEW; 2024. Accessed 7 July, 2025.
2. Malik A, Lenzen M, McAlister S, McGain F. The carbon footprint of Australian health care. Lancet Planet Health. 2018;2(1):E27–E35. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30180-8
*George Ltaif is Director of Marketing and Communications – Southeast Asia Pacific at Arjo.
Top image credit: iStock.com/Nastco
