New white paper calls for integration of environmental, human, and economic metrics in sustainability assessments of medical technologies.
At CleanMed Europe 2025, Mölnlycke® unveiled a white paper urging a unified European approach to sustainability in healthcare. The paper highlights the need for a broader definition of sustainability assessments for medical technology.
Current assessment frameworks focus mainly on environmental indicators, often overlooking human and economic factors. Mölnlycke warns this narrow view can hinder progress and lead to unintended consequences, such as compromised patient safety, healthcare workforce wellbeing and financial strain on healthcare systems.
The white paper presents five key recommendations for policymakers, procurement bodies and industry leaders:
- Establish a unified EU framework for the sustainability assessment of medical technologies.
- Facilitate data-sharing among stakeholders to support evidence-based decision-making and harmonise sustainability metrics across Europe.
- Enhance training for procurement professionals, enabling them to adopt holistic evaluation methods.
- Recognise the wellbeing, working conditions and retention of healthcare practitioners as fundamental to the resilience of healthcare systems.
- Promote the transition from traditional price-based purchasing and tendering models to value-based healthcare as a key enabler of sustainable healthcare, ensuring clinically appropriate and patient-centred outcomes.
This initiative is part of Mölnlycke's purpose to revolutionise care for people and the planet.
Furthermore, Mölnlycke’s recommendations align with EU initiatives like the European Green Deal and the EU Health Union, aiming to integrate environmental, human and economic dimensions into the EU’s sustainability agenda.
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