Sustainable Development and Society - GSA

Sustainable Development and Society
products (pursuant to the three safeties
concept).
• Overall, KP has focused on phasing out
the use of PVC, eliminating the
presence of mercury, increasing
recycled content, reducing waste
volumes, and demonstrating a
preference for least toxic chemicals.
• KP is methodically removing DEHP
from products in neonatal units.
Sustainable Operations
In 2003, approximately 8,000 tons of solid
wastes were diverted from landfills. KP’s
overall waste volume reduction is now 30%.
• In 2003, 65,500 pieces of electronic
equipment were reused within KP, redeployed
outside of KP, or ultimately
recycled, through a partnership with
Redemtech.
• In the last few years, 100 tons of singleuse
devices were reprocessed.
• KP has eliminated the purchase and
disposal of 40 tons of hazardous
chemicals through finding safer
alternatives and recycling solvents.
• 27,000 grams of mercury have been
eliminated from KP health care
operations through the phase-out of
mercury-containing blood pressure
devices, thermometers, and GI
equipment. KP’s goal is to be virtually
mercury free by the end of 2004.
KP wants to pursue their work from a
solution-focus.
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco
(Photo: Kaiser Permanente)
KP’s new chemical policy (still under
development at the time this paper was
submitted) will call for avoiding the use of
carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive
toxins (CMRs) and persistent
bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs).
Clearly, it will be a long time before these
chemicals can be avoided entirely. But KP’s
policy will signal the marketplace that
innovation and change are necessary, and
they will demonstrate a preference for
manufacturers who provide cleaner
products that meet the organization’s
quality and cost imperatives.
What the Future Holds:
KP’s’ Environmental Stewardship Council is
pursuing two bold initiatives in addition to
the current work:
Chemical Policy: Rather than continuing
to take an approach that is problemfocused
(e.g., eliminating mercury,
eliminating PVC, eliminating incineration),
Food Policy: A new policy on food will
support healthy food systems in health
care. Specifically, that means supporting
food systems that are ecologically sound,
economically viable, and socially
responsible. As a start, KP has farmers’
markets in operation at five medical centers
in California and Hawaii, with plans to
expand to additional centers in 2004. The
food policy is a way to encompass the widereaching
aspects of food, including
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