The Dutch healthcare sector faces a dual challenge: continuing to provide high-quality, accessible care while demonstrably making its operations more sustainable. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is the umbrella term for the three pillars against which sustainability is assessed. Applying ESG helps healthcare institutions identify and organize their sustainability issues; based on this, a structured approach can be developed, with clear priorities, measurable goals, and transparent accountability.
A sector with a significant social impact
The healthcare sector has a significant impact on people, the environment, and the economy. It accounts for approximately 7% of the national greenhouse gas footprint, 4% of waste, and 13% of metal and mineral consumption. At the same time, more than 1.5 million people work in the healthcare sector, and virtually every Dutch citizen comes into contact with its services, either directly or indirectly. It is precisely because of this scale that a targeted ESG approach can make a significant difference.
In addition to the societal urgency, making healthcare institutions more sustainable also yields concrete benefits for the institutions themselves: for example, lower costs due to reduced energy and water consumption, a more attractive employer brand, and a stronger position in light of future regulations such as the CSRD.
The Green Deal for Sustainable Healthcare 3.0 provides direction for this transition, with goals related to health promotion, awareness, CO2 reduction, circularity, and reducing the environmental impact of medication. The Healthcare Environmental Thermometer provides a practical framework for embedding sustainability in business operations and will be mandated by healthcare purchasers for large inpatient care facilities starting in 2027. However, the certification focuses exclusively on environmental issues; the “S” and “G” components of ESG remain outside its scope.
From Isolated Initiatives to Cohesion
More and more healthcare institutions are publishing information about their ESG policies and performance, but there are significant differences in maturity. Leaders establish a clear link between strategy, objectives, implementation, and reporting. At other organizations, many valuable initiatives exist side by side, but a unified direction is lacking: one department stops using unnecessary air humidifiers, residual waste is sorted, or disposable surgical gowns are replaced with reusable ones. These are valuable in and of themselves, but without clarity on priorities, accountability, or progress.
Often, there is no shortage of ideas or ambitions regarding sustainability, but rather a lack of ability to translate these into actions that are widely supported throughout the organization. This requires embedding ESG throughout the entire organization: it starts with the board, which must place the topic high on its priority list and steer the organization in that direction, and extends down to the organizational levels below. This can be achieved, for example, through a designated officer or a working group that coordinates actions on the front lines. Only then will a structure emerge in which priorities are clear, progress is monitored, and initiatives are actually implemented.
An effective ESG approach does not begin with a long list of measures, but with clear choices: Which themes are most relevant to the organization and its stakeholders, which ambitions align with the strategy, and which indicators make results visible? By answering these questions together, a workable agenda emerges that links strategic direction with day-to-day implementation.
ESG as Part of Business Operations
Cooperate Green helps healthcare organizations not only set the right priorities and goals, but also to truly embed ESG: translating management decisions into clear responsibilities and ensuring alignment between strategy, implementation, and reporting. Our approach is tailored to the organization’s specific situation: sometimes an independent sounding board is sufficient, while other times temporary leadership is needed to assign responsibilities and get implementation underway on the ground.
The goal is always the same: to develop ESG from a standalone project into an integrated part of decision-making and business operations, supported by the entire organization. This not only creates a credible narrative for the outside world, but—more importantly—an approach that provides internal direction, establishes accountability, and delivers demonstrable results.
Would you like to know what the next step is for your healthcare organization? Cooperate Green would be happy to discuss with you an ESG approach that combines ambition, feasibility, and impact—from the boardroom to the workplace.