If healthcare were a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest by way of CO₂ emissions, accounting for over 4% of the global total. According to the 2022 Future Health Index global report, only 4% of healthcare leaders worldwide were prioritizing environmental sustainability in 2021. After just one year, that figure jumped to 24%, a nearly seven-fold increase. While key stakeholders worldwide are beginning to recognize and prioritize the need, a deeper and broader understanding of radiology’s impact on the planet is urgently required to deliver more sustainable and equitable care. To help achieve this, Philips has prioritized efforts to partner with public and private customers, peers and industry leading organizations to help reduce environmental impact.

As part of this new alliance, the European Society of Radiology (ESR) will co-host a Sustainability Zone in Philips’ Blue Level exposition area at ECR 2023 with the support of Health Care Without Harm, a global movement for environmentally responsible healthcare. The interactive experience will promote awareness of radiology’s contribution to global CO₂ emissions and inspire action by connecting people, projects and resources around the world. By asking visitors to donate 10 minutes of time to share and discuss their own efforts, challenges and best practices, the Sustainability Zone at ECR will serve as global accelerator for research, collaboration and education related to decarbonizing radiology. Philips will aggregate and share these inputs with all parties who opt-in to help further ideation across the global radiology community.

“Health technology companies, healthcare systems and other industry stakeholders have a responsibility to act,” says Robert Metzke, global head of sustainability at Philips. “We’ve adopted both an outside-in and inside-out approach to reduce our own carbon footprint while also enabling our customers and industry peers to do the same. Philips’ continued development of solutions that are both sustainable and scalable is well complemented by the efforts of industry leaders like the European Society of Radiology and Healthcare Without Harm Europe. Together, we can help to further encourage sustainable healthcare practices worldwide.”

“The Sustainability Zone fits well with this year’s ECR theme, ‘Cycle of Life’, intended to reflect the centrality of radiology to healthcare throughout life,” says Adrian Brady, ECR 2023 Congress President. “Health leaders worldwide increasingly acknowledge that doing no harm should also include harm to nature, especially considering long-term population health and climate goals. I hope ECR members spare a moment to visit the zone and engage with peers about sustainable radiology.”

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