As hospitals and healthcare systems face growing pressure to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining high standards of patient care, Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are increasingly being used to evaluate the environmental footprint of products, processes, services, and operations. However, HPRC's engagement with healthcare stakeholders revealed that while awareness of LCAs is widespread, understanding of how they work and how they should be applied remains inconsistent across the industry.

Our latest resource, HPRC's Guidance on Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applicability to Healthcare Systems, is designed to help healthcare organizations understand and effectively use LCAs to support sustainability goals and decision-making.

Developed as an educational resource, the guide provides a practical overview of LCA fundamentals, including common assessment approaches, ISO standards, healthcare applications, and key considerations when reviewing or conducting an LCA. The publication also examines real-world healthcare case studies that demonstrate how LCAs can support evidence-based decision-making, identify environmental hotspots, improve resource efficiency, advance circular economy initiatives, and inform policy development.

Among the key takeaways from the whitepaper:

* LCAs provide a science-based framework for understanding environmental impacts across a product, process, or service lifecycle.

* Hospitals can use LCAs to support procurement decisions, waste management strategies, operational improvements, and sustainability planning.

* Real-world healthcare studies demonstrate measurable environmental benefits from initiatives such as medical device reprocessing, circularity programs, and energy efficiency improvements.

* LCAs are most effective as decision-support tools that help organizations identify priorities, evaluate trade-offs, and focus efforts where the greatest environmental benefits can be achieved.

* Continued development of healthcare-specific data, methodologies, and reporting standards will be important to improving the consistency and usability of LCAs across the sector.

Download HPRC's Guidance on Life Cycle Assessments and Their Applicability to Healthcare Systems here. (https://www.hprc.org/understanding-life-cycle-assessments-in-healthcare/)

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Made up of more than 30 brand-leading and globally recognized members, HPRC explores ways to enhance the economics, efficiency, and ultimately the quality and quantity of healthcare plastics collected for recycling in support of a circular plastics economy. HPRC is active across the United States and Europe working with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and participating in industry events and forums. For more information, visit www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.

HPRC is facilitated by Antea Group.