Johnson & Johnson via JustMeans
September 26, 2012
Press Release
At today’s 2012 CleanMed Europe Conference, a research study was showcased revealing that increased global demand for more sustainable health care is driving the creation of “greener” products and purchasing guidelines among health care institutions. It’s one of several key findings from a new white paper, commissioned by Johnson & Johnson, that was unveiled to more than 400 hospital procurement officials and health care industry leaders from more than 15 countries. The white paper can be accessed at www.earthwards.com.
Jack De Bokx, senior director of environmental, health, safety and sustainability at Johnson & Johnson, U.K., explored the white paper findings with attendees during his plenary session.
“It’s clear from our research that the health care industry is holistically embracing sustainability as the driving factor in greener operations, improved health care and lower operating costs,” said De Bokx. “We’re not surprised that purchasing and materials managers and C-suite executives are key players in purchasing greener products, which underscores the business case for sustainability as competitive positioning in the health care industry.”
…These data also reflect the surging interest in guidelines to inform “greener” purchasing decisions. According to expert interviews, health care leaders such as Kaiser Permanente have created sustainability scorecards which require suppliers to provide environmental information about products. Other institutions have adopted Environmentally Preferred Purchasing (EPP) programs to achieve similar goals.
Accordingly, more than 90 percent of research respondents that have an EPP program feel it is important in driving purchasing decisions. Also, those most interested in purchasing more sustainable health care products are purchasing and materials managers (42 percent) followed by C-suite executives (21 percent).
“The idea of transparency will only become more important,” said Gary Cohen, President and Founder of Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition of sustainable health care advocates. “Suppliers and hospitals around the world will be held accountable for impacts throughout the lifecycle of a product – from where it is produced and how it is used in the delivery of care, to how it is treated at end of use.”
To learn more, please visit www.jnj.com/responsibility or www.earthwards.com.