Carbon footprint of a clinical biochemistry platform in a French university hospital: Identifying the main greenhouse gas emission sources

Background

The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 8% in France. Clinical biochemistry laboratories, crucial for patient diagnosis and therapeutic follow-up, are particularly resource-intensive and the laboratory consumables represent the second biggest emission source in Parisian public hospitals.

Methods

We aimed to quantify the carbon footprint of the centralized analytical automated platform of the clinical biochemistry laboratory at Cochin Hospital in Paris, covering most of the incoming and outgoing physical flows based on actual operational data. Wherever possible, physical emission factors were used to assess the emissions associated with laboratory activities. For laboratory consumables, monetary emission factors were applied due to the lack of available data.

Findings

The carbon footprint assessment revealed that the laboratory's COBAS® automated analytical lines emitted 2081 tCO₂e in 2023, equivalent to approximately 0.52 kgCO₂e per test. The study found that laboratory consumables accounted for nearly 80% of total emissions. A comparison with other studies showed similar orders of magnitude though it highlighted methodological differences affecting the results. The analysis by analytical module revealed significant variations in emissions, with the immunoassay module having the highest footprint per test (2.89 kgCO₂e/test), primarily driven by expensive laboratory consumables.

Interpretation

Our study provides valuable insights into the GHG emissions of a centralized analytical automated platform and suggests that decarbonization efforts should focus on reducing consumable waste and promoting appropriate test ordering practices. Further research is needed to estimate emissions associated with specific tests and incorporate sample collection and transport emissions.