The UK’s healthcare industry contributes about 4-5% of the country’s total carbon emissions, with a major source of these emissions (approximately 11.8%) being attributed to medical equipment procurement. As the NHS, and healthcare providers across the UK, strive to meet ambitious net zero targets, there is an increasing focus on the responsible sourcing and disposal of medical equipment. As leaders in the second-hand medical equipment market and asset management, Hilditch Group plays a key role in helping healthcare providers meet their net zero targets.
What is the circular economy in healthcare?
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that prioritises extending the life of products and materials. Where traditional economies are linear – you make the product, use the product, then dispose of the product – circular economies encourage the reuse, refurbishment, resale and recycling of products, keeping them in use for as long as possible, and when they’re no longer usable, disposing of them responsibly. In healthcare, this means maximising the lifespan of redundant medical equipment and waste minimisation. An added benefit is that reselling equipment generates revenue for hospitals, trusts and other healthcare providers.
The role of asset management in reaching net zero targets
Asset management is critical to net zero strategies because it influences three key sustainability factors:
- Carbon emissions – released in the process of manufacturing, packaging and transporting new equipment.
- Waste generation – discarded components from medical equipment contributes to the rising problem of e-waste. There are two concerns relating to e-waste
- It often contains hazardous materials such as lead and mercury, that contaminate the environment and harm human health if not disposed of correctly.
- Valuable resources such as gold and silver are not being properly recycled and repurposed.
- Resource use – reduces the energy and material consumption required to manufacture new equipment while enabling more efficient and sustainable use of existing equipment.
The replacement of medical equipment is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Manufacturing, transporting and installing new equipment requires energy and raw materials, contributing to a larger carbon footprint. Extending the lifespan of existing assets through resale once they become redundant, can drastically reduce environmental impact.
How Hilditch Group supports the medical equipment circular economy
Hilditch Group has over three decades of experience helping NHS Trusts and healthcare providers responsibly manage surplus assets. Our services directly align with circular economy principals, whilst generating maximum value for vendors.
Resale and reuse
Hilditch Group facilitates the decommissioning and resale of second-hand medical equipment via a variety of channels – timed online auctions, webcast auctions and our online retail site, so that it can be reused.
Engineering services
Our expert team of in-house medical engineers repair and service equipment to ensure it’s in the best working condition for resale.
Recycling
When equipment reaches the end of its useful lifecycle and can no longer be resold, Hilditch Group arranges responsible disposal and recycling of materials and components.
Through these processes, we’re able to extend redundant medical equipment’s lifespan, avoid the emissions associated with manufacturing new equipment, reduce landfill – Hilditch Group is certified zero-to-landfill – and allow buyers significant costs savings (as opposed to buying equipment brand new).
Our commitment to sustainability
We’ve aligned our sustainability commitments with the NHS, committing to net zero carbon by 2040. This commitment has seen us introduce the following initiatives:
- Zero-to-landfill policy: we minimise waste going to landfill by ensuring all redundant materials are reused or recycled.
- Sustainable packaging: all our packaging is compostable, recycled or reusable.
- Solar panels: we’ve installed two arrays of solar panels to our Malmesbury warehouse.
- Renewable energy: 33% of purchased electricity has been replaced with green scheme renewable energy, with the goal to make this 100% by 2028.
- Realtime telematics: Webfleet live telematics have been fitted to all commercial vehicles to enable accurate tracking and reporting of carbon emissions.
- Electric cars: we have an electric car salary sacrifice scheme and five, free electric charging points on site.
We are also proudly ISO14001 accredited and a Carbon Footprint Standard, CO2 assessed organisation.
Read more about our sustainability commitments and projects here.
Building strategic partnerships for net zero success
Sustainable asset management isn’t just about clearing out redundant equipment, it’s about creating a long term, strategic approach that benefits both the bottom line and the planet. Hilditch Group offers tailored services to help healthcare providers develop asset management strategies and align with their specific carbon reduction goals.
By partnering with Hilditch Group, healthcare providers can integrate circular economy practices into their procurement and take a proactive step towards achieving net zero targets. Hilditch Group is committed to supporting the healthcare circular economy, and creating a sustainable healthcare system, reducing emissions and preventing medical equipment waste.
If you’d like to find out more, get in touch.
