Embracing sustainability in the healthcare sector

While the local health system is estimated to be responsible for around 5 per cent of Australia’s total carbon emissions, this compares favourably to countries such as the US (where healthcare is an estimated 8-9.8 per cent of total national emissions) but is nonetheless trending above the global estimated total of 4.5 per cent.

In a sign that regulatory pressure will continue to grow, earlier this year the federal government announced that Australia was joining the US and UK in a public statement of collaboration to decarbonise healthcare supply chains. Green procurement, reduction targets and carbon emission disclosures are on the agenda.

Smartways has been operating as a fully carbon-neutral enterprise for more than four years, in alignment with the company’s mission to improve patient outcomes, and its unwavering commitment to making an enduring impact on the broader community.

“Smartways is the first, and only, dedicated healthcare logistics company to provide sustainable, carbon-neutral freight services within Australia and New Zealand,” Taylor says.

The company is Australasia’s largest dedicated healthcare logistics network, with more than 300 drivers and 35 strategically located hubs.

A key component of the group’s offering is its pioneering SmartCubes, which are innovative, temperature-controlled packaging solutions for healthcare clients. The reusable thermal packing connects to high-tech temperature-logging and tracking systems, to ensure safe and reliable transportation and eliminate the need for Styrofoam and single-use packaging.

“Time and temperature sensitivity are pivotal to Smartways’ extensive service capabilities. The company offers smart, temperature-controlled packaging solutions to ensure product integrity throughout the entire supply chain.”

For each shipment made across its extensive network, Smartways offsets its carbon position through national and global projects registered with Climate Active, an Australian government environmental quality program.

Its sustainability initiative supports multiple projects in NSW and Queensland, such as the Paroo River South Environmental Project and the Clovelly Regeneration Project, which prioritise assisted regeneration of vegetation. Internationally, Smartways has invested in Vietnam’s Khe Bo hydro power project.

All are examples of the kinds of collaborations that researchers from professional services firm Deloitte note will be crucial for the healthcare sector to reach net zero.

“Sustainability and ESG leaders have already shown an appetite for taking a cross-firm, ecosystem-wide approach, by partnering to identify solutions to population-level health issues,” a Deloitte report notes.

“As more and more firms prioritise sustainability and climate action, and make public commitments around their efforts, this type of collaboration will encourage even more information sharing and learning across the sector.”

The technological innovation and pioneering care models being developed across the healthcare industry can also help deliver co-benefits for sustainability, the Deloitte researchers say.

“Healthcare leaders should be actively considering climate resiliency as an enterprise-wide strategy. This analysis will likely require a comprehensive look at the risks throughout the value chain, but can equip organisations to prepare for, and respond to, risks as they emerge.”

Not only are Smartways’ transport services carbon neutral, but the carbon footprints of its daily business activities, from electricity, water and waste to travel and accommodation and even office supplies, are all offset. The result, Taylor notes, is a truly carbon-neutral company.

“While other logistics providers in our sector have environmental targets and goals, Smartways is delivering sustainability now,″⁣ he says.

“By absorbing all associated carbon neutrality costs, at no expense to the customer, and their supply chain, Smartways eliminates the decision between sustainability and affordability.”