How to Do More Than Just ‘Check the Box’ on Advancing Sustainability

Tip #30

Mark Mochel, Strategic Account Executive at Brightly Software

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword in healthcare. But identifying what a “sustainable” healthcare facility really looks like isn’t always clear.

Facilities leaders looking to make a consistent, long-term impact on how they utilize resources must make sustainability more than a box to check. True sustainability requires streamlining internal processes, cutting down waste, and implementing measures to enhance operational efficiency. It is a continuous improvement opportunity.

Strategic asset management (SAM) acts as a transformative bridge between compliance and sustainability. By adopting SAM initiatives, facility leaders can spearhead sustainability efforts while simultaneously fulfilling compliance requirements.

Remember though, transformation does not happen overnight. A true sustainability strategy should include short- and long-term goals aiming to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions over time while pursuing business objectives. Common examples of sustainability KPI’s include:

• Current deferred maintenance levels and impacts of legacy infrastructure on energy use intensity and carbon emissions.
• Reduction in utility consumption by % year over year.
• Existing facility upgrade options and new construction standards.
• Organizational 2030 or 2050 decarbonization goals.

After you’ve set your goal(s), ensure you have proper people, processes, and technologies in place to track toward defined targets. Every good sustainability strategy is built on data tracking. Without tracking your progress, it’s impossible to identify and report successes along the way.

Building a successful sustainability strategy involves 3 steps:

1. Identify your emissions baseline

Optimizing energy and carbon consumption requires understanding how much energy and carbon the organization is using and where. As a start, that means collecting utility data. You can compare your performance against industry benchmarks to assess usage in relation to the industry average or base your goals on past energy usage, with the objective of improving year over year.

2. Appeal to your decision-makers

Building an effective sustainability strategy requires support from the organization’s decision-makers. The best way to garner that support is by sharing data on your current emissions and detailing the potential financial and operational risks if immediate action isn’t taken. Leverage ESG to engage senior leadership and address aging infrastructure wherever possible as a strategic initiative.

3. Leverage data to inform decisions

Asset-level data identifies where to best invest capital for aging infrastructure within your operations. Reviewing building data can source opportunities for energy and waste reduction. Using that data will further help your bottom line by pinpointing opportunities for investment in alternative energy sources such as on-site renewables.

Sustainability is weakened when healthcare organizations look to simply check a box. As you advance in your sustainability endeavors, equipping facilities with the appropriate tools and strategies for strategic asset management is essential.