Sustainable supply chain management in U.S. healthcare: Strategies for reducing environmental impact without compromising access

Samuel Ajibola Dada 1, Faith Chidinma Okonkwo 1 and Yvonne Makafui Cudjoe-Mensah 2 *

1 Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, USA.
2 Klerconsult, El Paso, TX, USA.
 
Review
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 13(02), 870–879.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2024.13.2.2113
Publication history: 
Received on 23 September 2024; revised on 08 November 2024; accepted on 11 November 2024
 
Abstract: 
The U.S. healthcare sector’s supply chain operations are responsible for about 8.5% of all national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In healthcare, traditional supply chain management has focused on cost efficiency to the detriment of environmental considerations leading to higher emissions, waste, and resource depletion. The focus of this study is to investigate strategies for making sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the U.S. healthcare system, while reducing environmental impact at minimal cost to patient care quality. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the current state of healthcare supply chains, explore sustainable practices, evaluate emerging technologies, propose an SSCM implementation framework, and explore policy implications. Sustainable supply chain management can be achieved by forming the key strategies: comprehensive waste reduction and recycling programs, adoption of energy efficient transportation and storage solutions, green energy sourcing, and use of data driven inventory management that would help optimize inventory, along with other technologies like blockchain, IoT and artificial intelligence that could achieve transparency and efficiency. The research wouldn't go into specific case studies but would likely look at institutions that have already been able to implement these practices. The findings indicate that considerable environmental footprint reduction of the U.S. healthcare sector is possible without sacrificing access to high quality care through adoption of SSCM practices. But it requires joint efforts from policymakers, healthcare providers and industry partners. The long-term goal is a sustainable, resilient healthcare system that will integrate environmental stewardship with high quality care, that will help mitigate climate change and acknowledge the interdependence of environmental and human health.
 
Keywords: 
Sustainable healthcare; Supply chain management; Environmental impact; Waste reduction; Healthcare technology; Greenhouse gas emissions; Blockchain; Artificial intelligence
 
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