The healthcare industry plays a crucial role in improving lives—but at a significant environmental cost. Hospitals and surgical clinics are among the largest waste producers in the UK, generating massive amounts of plastic waste, energy consumption, and carbon emissions.
Professor Kayvan Shokrollahi, Consultant Burn, Plastic & Laser Surgeon and Honorary Clinical Professor at the University of Liverpool, conducted a carbon footprint study of his burn centre revealing significant sustainability challenges. Current waste disposal methods such as incineration, landfilling, and sterilization pose major environmental risks with large volumes of PPE utilisation and up to 1 billion litres a year of water wasted by running taps across the entire NHS plumbing network to flush pseudomonas and legionella in the absence of other alternative solutions.
His preliminary research was widely recognised, earning First Prize/Gold Award at the Journal of Wound Care Awards in London, as well as the Best Research Poster Prize at the British Burn Association Annual Meeting in 2023.
Prof. Shokrollahi hopes to raise awareness and drive collaborative research on sustainability in healthcare.
Addressing water wastage requires innovations in hospital plumbing, while new technologies could enable safe recycling of clinical waste like PPE. Advancing clinical and IT systems to support remote working could also reduce environmental impact and improve efficiency.
Sustainability in Healthcare: The Role of Medical Students
Future doctors, including today’s medical students, have a crucial role in advocating for and implementing sustainable practices within healthcare and on placement, your observations can help bring to light day-to-day opportunities to make an impact within the hospital setting.
Prof. Shokrollahi emphasises the role of the next generation in demanding change:
The sustainability agenda has thus far been an afterthought—it will be for the next generation of doctors to insist sustainability is integrated into every aspect of healthcare, including at the starting point of medical school.
This means embedding sustainability into clinical practice—from reducing single-use plastics in hospitals to advocating for greener policies in medical institutions. It also involves choosing sustainable materials, reducing energy use in healthcare settings, and addressing wasteful practices.
I am hopeful that more students will think about research projects, small or large, within their medical school curriculum as an opportunity to investigate issues in this domain.
How you can get involved
Take part in Sustainability Week (24th - 28th February 2025)
The University of Liverpool’s Sustainability Week is a great opportunity to learn about environmental issues in healthcare and beyond. A week-long programme of talks, workshops, volunteering opportunities and the Sustainability Fair will be available for students and staff to take part in.
Enrol in the new sustainability module
The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences has introduced a new Sustainability in Health and Life Sciences module, designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of sustainable practices in medicine.
This module provides real-world applications that can help medical students incorporate sustainability into their future careers, whether in hospitals, research, or public health.
Submit for the Sustainable Health Impact Award
Are you passionate about sustainability? A new School Prize recognises students who engage with issues, challenges, and solutions in sustainable healthcare.
Submit your presentation on the topic ‘Sustainability in healthcare: Issues, challenges and solutions
Prof. Shokrollahi, Prize Lead, believes that medical students have the power to push sustainability to the forefront of the NHS and beyond:
With 1.2 million employees and an enormous environmental impact across energy, plastic usage, water wastage, anaesthetic gases, and many other areas, the NHS may be the single best sandbox in the world to make systemic changes across institutions and policies.
This award is a fantastic opportunity to gain recognition for your ideas, develop valuable skills, win £350 and contribute to a more sustainable future in healthcare.
Make a difference today
Sustainability is no longer just a side issue in healthcare—it is a crucial challenge that will shape the future of medicine. Whether through reducing waste, influencing hospital policies, or researching innovative solutions, medical students have a vital role to play.
In October 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero, find out more about the NHS’s sustainable initiatives.
Discover upcoming initiatives and events on the University of Liverpool’s Sustainability News.