The untapped potential of procurement in sustainable healthcare

Margo Enthoven of the Stockholm School of Economics describes Swedish healthcare procurement as ill-designed for the sector’s needed step change. 

With over 80% of healthcare’s climate impact rooted in the supply chain, purchasing is critical to achieving sustainable healthcare. But is public procurement ready to lead this transition?

Some regions in Europe are paving the way:
🇬🇧 The UK’s NHS has set a 10% minimum weight on sustainability criteria to support their objective to be net zero by 2040
🇳🇴 Norway requires at least 30% of public tenders to prioritize sustainability as of 2024.
🇩🇰 Denmark’s Region Midt is exploring circular healthcare solutions.

And Sweden? It’s lagging.

As Margo Enthoven, researcher on public procurement at the Stockholm School of Economics puts it, “Compared to the Netherlands, Sweden has a lot to catch up on in public procurement. The first case of buying fully circular workwear appeared in the Netherlands 10 years ago. I have not seen that yet in Sweden. More than anything else, it’s due to how procurement is structured -- it’s regarded as an administrative task rather than a strategic lever for change. By organizing purchasing this way, you may be able to deliver incremental improvements, but you're not prepared for a step change.”

What can you, as a supplier, do to drive sustainable innovation?
🚀 Collaborate with first movers like the NHS and Norwegian procurement to showcase sustainable solutions and inspire your innovation teams. Don’t wait for the followers to define your path.

🤝 Engage in dialogue with the followers and tackle low-hanging fruit at the regional level in countries considered followers.

💡 Highlight total cost of ownership and life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to align sustainability with financial value.

Sustainable healthcare procurement can be so much more than Codes of Conduct and risk assessments—it can be a powerful catalyst for change. Let’s push for strategic purchasing that supports innovation and reduces impacts across the healthcare ecosystem.

Look for Margo’s research, ‘Disincentives for sustainable procurement,’ to be published later this year.

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