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In recent years, the healthcare industry has made significant strides in adopting sustainable practices, and diagnostic testing is no exception. The imperative to reduce the industry’s ecological impact arises from the convergence of several factors: rapid industrialization, healthcare expansion, technological advances, growing environmental awareness, regulatory pressures, economical and ethical concerns and the rise of greener technologies. As global awareness of environmental issues grows, industries across the board are re-evaluating their operations to minimize their ecological footprint. These efforts not only align with ethical goals but also corporate goals by enhancing efficiency and reducing costs, leading to long-term financial benefits. Remarkably, healthcare systems in industrialized nations contribute nearly 10% of greenhouse gas emissions—more than the aviation or shipping industries 1 . If the global healthcare sector were a country, it would rank as the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, generating two gigatons of CO 2 annually 2 . The COVID pandemic amplified this further as the increase in diagnostic testing produced a significant amount of waste from single-use tests and personal protective equipment, and 25,000 metric tons of it have ended up in the ocean. 3 As concern around minimizing waste grows in the life science industry, more companies are adopting sustainable practices. McKinsey research shows a rise in companies committed to “Science Based Target” initiatives, from only 7 in 2019 to 104 in 2022. To meet new sustainability initiatives, life science companies must implement the principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. However, this can be challenging in clinical testing when most of the waste produced is infectious or hazardous. The main opportunities for reducing waste and CO2 emissions involve utilizing sustainable materials, optimizing processes, reducing reagent volumes, and employing multiplex testing to reduce resource consumption.
For most industrialized nations, Healthcare systems account for nearly 10% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .
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