Commercial, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  November 15, 2022

GE Healthcare Reinforces 2050 Goal  

GE Healthcare joined the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House in the pledge to decarbonize the health care sector and make health care facilities more resilient to the effects of climate change.  

An affirmation of its climate goals, the pledge reinforces GE Healthcare’s commitment to reducing organizational emissions by 50% against a 2019 baseline by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

The health care sector accounts for 8.5% of U.S. emissionsThe emissions arise directly from health care facilities and indirectly from the supply chain. 

The HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, developed the White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge to help focus industry response to climate challenges. In addition to reducing their carbon footprint, signatories also commit to producing detailed plans to prepare their facilities for both chronic and acute catastrophic climate impacts.

“The connection between a healthy planet and healthy lives is clear,” said Kelvin Sanborn, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Program Leader at GE Healthcare in a statement. “With over two billion exams conducted every year using GE Healthcare equipment, we have a responsibility to intensify our actions to further reduce our emissions. Climate action is an integral part of our mission to improve outcomes for patients, healthcare providers, and researchers in the U.S. and beyond.”

GE Healthcare has begun implementing a strategy around three pillars: facility footprint reductions, fleet electrification, and renewable energy. In 2021, GE Healthcare achieved a 7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions against a 2019 baseline. The company has also signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).