This charter can be used as a stand-alone resource or alongside existing organizational templates. It is a structured tool that builds on the Model for Improvement by integrating sustainability prompts into standard project charter components. It follows the SE-QI approach, which embeds sustainability within existing QI steps and structures, rather than adding it as a separate process. Prompts are woven throughout core elements such as scope, problem definition, and measurement planning. Each slide also includes accompanying speaking notes with additional guidance for each step.
The environmental impact of PPE is large and could be reduced through domestic manufacture, rationalising glove use, using reusables where possible and optimising waste management.
Hence, in settings with frequent use of sharp equipment, open wounds, and mucus membrane exposure, examination gloves should be required. In cases where most pathogens cannot be transmitted through intact skin, the procedure is not seen as an exposure risk, and natural defences form an adequate barrier against transmittable disease, and sanitation of the hands might be an adequate and more ethical consideration for use. We have illustrated some examples to help readers decide when removing gloves for a procedure is appropriate and when it is not.
My research’s purpose was to help fight the global COVID pandemic by helping ethanol producers produce USP grade ethanol as well as study the environmental impacts of producing USP grade ethanol.
We estimate the direct and indirect rebound effects from energy efficiency improvements by UK households. We allow for the capital cost of the improvement, together with the emissions embodied in the relevant equipment. We find rebound effects to be relatively modest, in the range 5–15%. The anticipated shift towards a low carbon electricity system will lead to larger rebound effects.
The Lead Nurse for Infection Prevention and Control and two Lead Practice Educators at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) addressed the over-use of non-sterile gloves through education and training. This has improved patient safety and experience and staff are now following evidence-based practice rather than wearing gloves out of habit.
Ecovamed publishes a first comparative study on the carbon footprint of nitrile gloves depending on the production country, and the correlation with its Environmental Label of Origin
Since May 1, 2023, Island Health has launched the “Gloves Off!” campaign to create a noticeable and measurable decrease in inappropriate glove use through a paradigm shift in organizational culture.
This webinar explains the “reusables first” approach to sustainable procurement, which prioritizes reusable products and devices over single-use disposables whenever clinically safe to do so. It highlights how healthcare procurement can help reduce the sector’s environmental impact by decarbonizing supply chains and adopting more sustainable practices to support planetary health and climate mitigation. The session features healthcare professionals from British Columbia and Ontario who share their experience implementing reusable-first strategies in clinical settings and discuss practical opportunities for broader adoption across the health system.
