Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.
Introduction: Environmental sustainability in healthcare has received increased attention, especially in high-resource settings such as intensive care units (ICUs). While energy consumption and pharmaceutical use are recognized emission sources, the environmental impact of disposable clinical materials remains underexplored. This study quantified carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions attributable to disposable items in an ICU and compared them to hospital-wide emissions.
Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted at a 496-bed hospital in Japan with a 14-bed closed ICU. Procurement data for five categories of disposable clinical materials (gloves, gauze, plastic tubing, paper-based products, and syringes) were analyzed from April 2024 to March 2025. Quantities were multiplied by standard life-cycle assessment-based emission factors (25–200 g CO₂/item) to estimate total emissions. Emissions were aggregated by care unit and normalized per bed.
Results: Approximately 11.6 million disposable items were used hospital-wide, resulting in an estimated 104.25 metric tons (t) of CO₂ emissions. The ICU used 667,000 items (5.75% of the total), accounting for 9.61 t CO₂ (9.22% of total emissions), despite comprising only 2.8% of beds. ICU emissions per bed were 0.69 t/year, which was more than three times the hospital-wide average (0.21 t).
Conclusions: ICUs impose a disproportionately high environmental burden due to intensive use of disposable materials. Without compromising safety, the carbon cost of disposables should inform Green ICU initiatives. Strategies such as optimizing procurement, exploring reusable alternatives, and enhancing staff awareness are essential for reducing emissions. This study highlights the environmental footprint of ICU material consumption and provides a replicable method for CO₂ emission assessment. Integrating such data into hospital sustainability frameworks can support decarbonization and environmentally responsible critical care practices.
