A new initiative calls for a sustainability strategy to strengthen climate protection, resource efficiency, and a sustainable supply.
Sustainability in healthcare is more than just conserving resources. It is a key prerequisite for a sustainable and resilient healthcare system. Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH/AI-generated
The German healthcare system faces a twofold challenge: The health consequences of climate change are increasing—for example, due to heat stress, extreme weather events, and the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, the healthcare sector itself contributes significantly to environmental impact through its own resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
To effectively address these challenges, a comprehensive strategy is needed. Although there are already numerous initiatives aimed at greater sustainability in the healthcare sector, a common strategic framework that brings these approaches together and further develops them to ensure their effectiveness has been lacking until now. This is where the initiative “Key Points Paper on a Sustainability Strategy for the German Healthcare System” comes in.
In addition to the Hannover Medical School (MHH), the initiative’s initial signatories include 64 other organizations from the sustainable business and industrial sectors, the health insurance sector, and the fields of research and science. The BKK Umbrella Organization, the German Medical Association, the German Pharmaceutical Industry Association, and the Center for Planetary Health Policy first presented the key points paper to the public in June 2026.
Sustainability as the foundation for a sustainable healthcare system
The policy paper is the result of a long-term dialogue process in which MHH Vice President Prof. Dr. Frank Lammert participated: “Sustainability in the healthcare system is a key prerequisite for future-proof and resilient care. The goal of our initiative is to strengthen health, equal opportunity, and quality of life while simultaneously protecting the environment and reducing costs.”
The policy paper establishes a strategic framework and identifies specific areas of action and measures. These include targeted prevention, community-based care, telehealth networks, sustainable architectural design and digitization of Clinical Departments, low-emission transportation, and the reduction of environmental impact from pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Examples include the replacement of environmentally harmful blood pressure medications, inhalers, ointments, and gels, as well as iodine recycling at the MHH’s Central Pharmacy.
As a next step, the key points paper will be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health and the members of the German Bundestag. The initiators are calling for the recommendations outlined in the paper to be incorporated into a binding, legally enshrined sustainability strategy for the German healthcare system.
You can downloadthe policy paper here.
Text: Bettina Bandel