Six sustainable advances at Karolinska University Hospital

At Karolinska, the departments work daily to reduce their environmental and climate impact, and to strengthen the hospital's social and economic sustainability. The work is driven forward by employees and managers, together with the sustainability unit and the hospital's appointed sustainability coordinators, children's rights representatives, and around 500 environmentally responsible nurses/doctors.

Based on Region Stockholm's sustainability strategy, Karolinska has set goals for the hospital, which are described in the hospital's sustainability program for the years 2023–2027. This includes offering equal and equitable care and working environment while finding new methods and approaches to conserve the earth's resources – for example, by switching to more environmentally friendly products and replacing disposable items with reusable products.

Other goals include reducing environmentally hazardous emissions and strengthen cooperation with the hospital's patients and their relatives. The responsibility and monitoring of the program are aligned with the hospital’s environmental management system (ISO 14001) and the overall sustainability organization. To integrate sustainability efforts into the hospital's daily operations, the program is structured with a bottom-up approach, meaning each unit is responsible for identifying the key sustainability areas to prioritize for the best possible impact.

Resources and follow-up are key

The widespread efforts are paying off – during 2024, many of the hospital's departments made sustainable progress. But what are the success factors behind the initiatives that have been particularly successful?

"One important thing, I believe, is that resources have been freed up to work with sustainability in these initiatives. But the follow-up at the hospital has also generally improved in connection to the environment and economy, which makes it easier for the departments to track their results and prioritize based on them, " says Lisa Greger, Sustainability Coordinator at Karolinska University Hospital.

She adds:

"Additionally, we have developed a sustainability policy and integrated the three dimensions of social, environmental, and economic sustainability more closely with each other – to show that they often are interconnected, and therefore should be addressed together. But the most important thing is that there is such a strong commitment to sustainability issues among employees at the hospital"

Six successful initiatives in 2024

Here are some of the successful projects over the past year.

15.3 tons less carbon dioxide was emitted in 2024 when disposable aprons were recycled
Disposable plastic aprons are recycled and used to produce new ones. In 2024, 100,000 circular aprons were used at Karolinska, generating 66 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions, thereby reducing emissions by 15.3 tons.

Plastic Surgery and Oral Surgery became the first unit to be LGBTQI-certified by RFSL
The Medical Unit for Plastic Surgery and Oral Surgery was the first at Karolinska University Hospital to be LGBTQI-certified by RFSL. To become certified, all employees must undergo training in LGBTQI issues and rights, the department must develop an action plan for inclusion and safety, and the work must be documented and continuously followed up to ensure long-term improvements.

An AI-based training tool was developed to identify children exposed to violence
In 2024, Karolinska's child protection team, with funding from Region Stockholm's Innovation Fund, developed an AI-based training tool for healthcare staff where they can practice talking to children to detect if a child's ill health is related to exposure to violence. The tool consists of a chatbot with different child avatars who have different background histories and symptoms. In the model, staff can practice asking questions, receiving answers, and reflecting on how follow-up questions can be formulated. When they feel confident in asking questions, children are more likely to talk about their situation so that the violence can stop. The tool was tested in autumn 2024 and will continue to be developed in 2025.

Work around unwanted sexualities and against sexual violence was strengthened
Karolinska, with the Center for Andrology, Sexual Medicine, and Trans Medicine (ANOVA) at the forefront, has developed care for people who feel they have lost control over their sexuality and strengthened work around the prevention of sexual violence. A new training for healthcare staff has been developed, as well as an anonymous chat to complement the help hotline that has existed previously. Through the chat, healthcare assistance becomes more accessible, especially for young people with sexual issues and relatives of people with sexual issues.

Over 1 million SEK was saved when fewer pharmaceuticals needed to be discarded
Pharmaceuticals are considered one of Karolinska's largest and most significant environmental aspects and today also constitute an important part of the hospital's environmental and sustainability work. Involving internal pharmaceutical support across departments led to a 25% reduction in discarded pharmaceuticals, saving over 1 million SEK. The support team ensures a stable supply, reviews needs, and revises stock annually, while also aiming to reduce disposal costs. Their 2025 project, "Disposal of Pharmaceuticals from Shelves," intensifies waste reduction efforts by documenting discarded medications and making costs visible, aiding care units in optimizing orders and packaging. The goal is to further reduce discarding by 10% in 2025.

Patient monitoring accessories become reusable throughout the whole hospital
Karolinska University Hospital has implemented a transition from disposable to reusable patient monitoring accessories, predicting substantial annual savings in both climate impact and costs. The hospital uses 135,000 disposable accessories annually, costing nearly 11 million SEK. By adopting reusable options, managed centrally by Medical Technology, the hospital expects to save up to 22 tons of CO2 and 9 million SEK each year. A new smart storage system allows staff to access and return accessories around the clock, improving resource efficiency and resilience against supply chain disruptions. This system tracks inventory, ensuring optimal distribution across departments. The project, supported by collaboration with various hospital units, has attracted international interest and has won the Stockholm Region’s Environmental Sustainability Award 2025.

More about Karolinska's sustainability efforts

Read more about sustainability at Karolinska on our English webpage.