Centre for Sustainable Hospitals is a joint centre for all hospitals in Central Denmark Region. The purpose of the Centre is to initiate and support the green transition of the hospitals.

The hospitals in Denmark have a considerable, negative impact on the climate and environment. Estimates indicate that the healthcare system is responsible for 6% of the CO2 emission in Denmark. We wish to change that.

Central Denmark Region has established Centre for Sustainable Hospitals to be able to collect and spread knowledge on sustainable transition in the healthcare system and to generate new knowledge through research, development projects and networks. It is a complex task for hospitals to undergo a green transition without compromising quality, patient safety, hygiene, efficiency and working environment.

In Central Denmark Region, 70% of the climate footprint is related to purchasing of goods and services; only 5% comes from electricity, water and heating. Centre for Sustainable Hospitals focuses on reducing consumption in relation to treatments because we in this way can harvest the highest potential to improve our climate and environment footprint.

Development and innovation in clinical practice

We believe that not all solutions are found through research - we also need innovation and development to take place in the everyday clinical practice.

Sustainability must be a natural part of the work for health professionals and their leaders, and we believe we can achieve this ambition by developing new solutions in close collaboration with the staff.

• The task of the Centre is to collect and communicate knowledge on sustainability. We do that through e.g., microfinancing of local development projects and through close collaboration with the hospital sustainability advisors. We also run larger initiatives across several hospitals in collaboration with key staff and external partners.
• We are also building a research unit at the centre.
• Center for Sustainable Hospital is taking different initiatives to strengthen the collaboration on green transition of hospitals – in Denmark and internationally.

Key activities at Centre for Sustainable Hospitals

• Daily coordination and professional management of the hospital sustainability advisors in Central Denmark Region
• Supporting development of local implementation plans at each hospital in Central Denmark Region
• Facilitate 'Network for sustainable hospitals' – a network for staff with an interest in sustainability
• Microfinancing of development projects in clinical practice
• Larger development projects across the hospitals in Central Denmark Region
• Research projects
• Implementation and scaling of internal and external results
• Close collaboration with the purchasing department in Central Denmark Region
• Collaboration projects between private companies and public institutions
• Hosting and facilitating increased collaboration – nationally and internationally
• Strengthening of the political focus on and prioritisation of the field of sustainability