Sustainability

The time when 'going green' in healthcare only referred to the colour of surgical gowns are long past: reducing CO2 emissions, improving waste management and saving energy are essential for modern hospitals. Keep reading to find out what medical institutions can do to become more sustainable.

Bayer at ECR 2025: Less dose, more AI and sustainability

Contrast agents, AI and circular economy: Bayer presented new developments for radiology at the ECR Congress. Particular emphasis was placed on digital assistance systems and sustainability.

Article • Philips at ECR 2025

Enhancing the “eye of medicine”

A greater emphasis on AI and sustainability, new approaches to mitigating staff shortage and more: At the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) 2025 in Vienna, Philips showcased its approaches to…

News • Environmental impact of coronary bypass grafting

Increasing sustainability of heart surgery

Life cycle assessment of bypass surgery procedures reveals opportunities to reduce the ecological footprint of healthcare, from reducing disposable materials to improving energy efficiency.

United Imaging showcases sustainable, AI-driven innovations at ECR 2025

United Imaging, a global leader in manufacturing advanced medical imaging and radiotherapy equipment, showcases a range of cutting-edge technologies aligned with sustainable values. Notably, the…

Article • Congress preview

ECR 2025: Welcome to Planet Radiology!

Science, sustainability, and society – these are the three cornerstones of this year’s European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna, Austria. Following the motto “Planet Radiology”, the…

News • Radiology congress preview

Philips at ECR 2025: AI-enabled, sustainable, streamlined

New AI-enabled systems, intelligent software, and imaging cloud services for improved radiology workflows: Royal Philips announces its solutions that will be showcased at ECR 2025 in Vienna.

Extensive testing demonstrates the efficiency of the Pentax Medical PlasmaTyphoon™+

Patient safety is at the heart of every medical advancement, and technologies like endoscopes have been pivotal in transforming surgery by enabling minimally invasive procedures. This evolution has led to safer operations, reduced complications, and improved patient outcomes. However, these advancements depend on rigorous hygiene protocols for reusable medical equipment.

News • Digital health competence education

SUSA: developing sustainable healthcare across Europe

"This is a pivotal moment for European healthcare education," says project leader Minna Isomursu about the start of SUSA, a collaboration to advance sustainable practices in healthcare.

News • Eco-friendly equipment

Plant-based caps bring more sustainability to the operating theatre

Around 800,000 single-use theatre caps are consumed every year in Scottish hospitals. A new type of caps made from cellulosic fibre offer a sustainable alternative to traditional disposable options.

News • Sustainable use of generative AI

Large language models in healthcare: shorter prompts, less emissions?

A new study investigating the impact of AI in healthcare shows that using LLMs to process thousands of patient records daily across multiple hospitals could lead to substantial resource consumption.

News • Framework for funding

The “Heidelberg Agreement”: A step towards more sustainable research

In a move to promote greater sustainability in research, organizations and experts from nine European countries have published the Heidelberg Agreement as a framework for research funding.

News • Impact on cardiovascular disease

How pollution of soil and water threatens heart health

“Evidence is mounting that pollutants in soil as well as in water may damage cardiovascular health,” find the authors of a new publication, which advocates the need for more sustainability.

News • Sustainability of a de-implementation strategy

Reducing inappropriate IV and catheter use, to reduce infections

Infections caused by both IVs and catheters occur in 10% of patients. However, up to a quarter are not necessary. New research shows how to reduce this use and, thus, infections.

News • Environmental impact of technology

Telemedicine for more sustainable cancer care

Cancer care that utilizes telehealth and local care would generate 33.1% less greenhouse gas emissions than the traditional model, new research finds.

News • Greenhouse gas emission reduction

Radiologists propose actions to combat climate change

How can radiology become more sustainable? In a new focus article, radiologists outline concrete actions that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of any diagnostic imaging department.

News • Energy consumption in radiology

Researchers look at environmental impacts of AI

As artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in radiology, researchers caution that it’s essential to consider the environmental impact of AI tools.

Article • Experts explore impact of technology

AI in radiology: helper or bane of society and the environment?

The climate crisis and AI – arguably two of the most hotly-debated and relevant topics of our time – share an intricate relationship: While computation of complex AI routines commands an immense carbon footprint, it is these algorithms that might be the very key to mitigate the effects of global warming. In a dedicated session at ECR 2023, radiologists explored the societal and environmental…

News • Life sciences and the environment

New award rewards sustainability in the lab

To recognize and support pioneering efforts in life science laboratory settings, EMBO launches its Lab Sustainability Award. Applications can be submitted soon.

News • Sustainability in imaging

Philips showcases helium-free mobile MRI at RSNA

Royal Philips showcases the world’s first mobile MRI system with helium-free operations at RSNA 2023. BlueSeal MR Mobile is a lightweight 1.5T system with a fully sealed magnet.

Sustainability

Lab-on-a-chip for a low-carbon future

The field of lab-on-a-chip needs to meet important challenges around sustainability. This includes not only the development of smart analytical systems that are able to sense the changes that are occurring within the environment but also, more generally, the mitigation of single-use plastics in analysis and the use of low-power, recyclable microsystem technologies.

Article • Sustainability in medical imaging

Reducing environmental pollution after contrast-enhanced scans

Radiologists called for action to reduce the release of contrast media in the hospital’s wastewater after contrast-enhanced examinations in a dedicated session at ECR 2023.

Article • Sustainability

The challenge of "greening" medical technologies

Under the impulse of the European Commission, the in vitro diagnostic industry is developing emerging technologies to implement sustainable practices in medical laboratories. As sustainability has been a growing priority of the European Union (EU) in the last decade, ‘the medical technology sector, particularly the IVD sector, must comply with European legislation in this field like all other…

News • Sustainability in healthcare

Creating a circular economy for medical testing plastics

Global healthcare consumes millions of tonnes of single use plastic every year. A team at the University of Birmingham is taking on this sustainability challenge.

News • Development of medical care

New research: how healthcare will change over the next 50 years

AI, robotics, climate change and more: Swedish researchers outline emerging technologies and trends that may define what the healthcare industry looks like in the next 50 years.

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Sustainability

Sponsored • Corporate presentation at radiology congress

Article • Philips at ECR 2025

News • Environmental impact of coronary bypass grafting

Sponsored • Product presentation at radiology congress

Article • Congress preview

News • Radiology congress preview

Sponsored • Endoscopy disinfection system • MKHYG-5037EN-EMEA

News • Digital health competence education

News • Eco-friendly equipment

News • Sustainable use of generative AI

News • Framework for funding

News • Impact on cardiovascular disease

News • Sustainability of a de-implementation strategy

News • Environmental impact of technology

News • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

News • Greenhouse gas emission reduction

News • Energy consumption in radiology

Article • Experts explore impact of technology

News • Life sciences and the environment

News • Sustainability in imaging

Sustainability

Article • Sustainability in medical imaging

Article • Sustainability

News • Sustainability in healthcare

News • Development of medical care