Global expenditure on healthcare represented close to 10% of GDP in 2015, a proportion that is anticipated to grow because of increasing access to healthcare, as a consequence of an ageing global population and the higher demands placed on healthcare services as we age. At the same time, the provision of healthcare plays a part in the challenge our global society and economy pose to planetary boundaries, placing a significant demand on natural resources and making a major contribution to climate change. This is both directly, through the operation of healthcare facilities, and indirectly, through the products the system procures, uses and disposes.
This burden is compounded by inefficiencies in healthcare systems that lead to avoidable resource consumptions and to poor health outcomes. As an example, research suggests that at least 30–50% of prescribed medication is not taken as recommended because of poor adherence, potentially resulting increased patient morbidity or mortality, as well as to wasted expenditure and unnecessary environmental impact. In the UK, it estimated that at least 10kg of hospital waste is produced per capita per annum. This not only a significant waste management issue, but also represents lost resources. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s concept of the circular economy identifies the potential benefits offered by innovative business models. In these, deliberate design allows products and materials to be kept in use for as long as possible in order to maximise efficiency.
A new conceptual paper from the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition explores how circular economy principles might be applied to building an innovative business model for healthcare provision, focusing on the ‘lifetime wellbeing’ of the individual or the population and the resources required and emissions incurred in delivering that function.