Climate Journey Map

Recognizing the health sector’s role as both a driver of emissions and a responder to climate-related impacts, this resource includes two distinct pathways—Supplier and Clinical—each tailored to the diverse roles, challenges, and opportunities within the health sector.

Each stage within the pathways of the Climate Journey Map includes specific actions to be taken, along with potential challenges that may arise, and links to best practices, resources, and toolkits. The map is designed to be circular, allowing organizations of any size to revisit different stages as regulatory, scientific, and business contexts, or other factors, evolve. While broadly applicable, it is especially useful for organizations at the beginning of their efforts.

Supplier Pathway Spotlight

The Supplier Pathway presents a clear, actionable roadmap for any health care suppliers, regardless of industry.  

By moving through the five stages of this journey, suppliers should expect to: 

• Enhance their understanding and compliance with environmental regulations 
• Integrate sustainability into their organization through effective governance structures, strategic planning, and leadership commitment and accountability 
• Reduce carbon emissions within their organizations’ direct operations and energy use 
• Extend beyond organizational boundaries, addressing emissions within the entire value chain 
• Emphasize continuous improvement, fostering a culture of innovation and transparency while driving resilience in the face of evolving challenges 

Clinical Pathway Spotlight

The Clinical Pathway is designed for clinicians, health care leaders, and health care workers, with six stages that outline practical actions that can be taken to transform health care delivery toward greater sustainability. 

As clinical stakeholders move through this journey, they can expect to: 

• Recognize the value of environmental sustainability by understanding its wide-ranging benefits, such as improved health equity, operational efficiency, cost savings, and increased resilience to climate-related disruptions 
• Integrate sustainability into core business and clinical operations through strategic planning, robust governance, and alignment across leadership and departments 
• Measure and reduce direct emissions (Scope 1) and energy-related emissions (Scope 2) by tracking, for example, facility operations, anesthesia use, and utility consumption 
• Address supply chain emissions (Scope 3, Categories 1 and 2) by evaluating and improving the sustainability of purchased goods and services, including medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and capital goods 
• Reduce broader indirect emissions by engaging clinicians, patients, staff, and communities in efforts to reduce commuting, travel, waste, and other indirect impacts that influence an organization’s total carbon footprint 
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by embedding sustainability into existing quality, safety, and operational programs to drive innovation, transparency, and long-term resilience

In summary, the Climate Journey Map is a dynamic resource designed to guide suppliers and clinical stakeholders in transforming the health sector—from supply chains to care delivery—to be more environmentally responsible and resilient, contributing to a healthier future for everyone, everywhere.