Press ENTER to search

Building a healthy future for people and planet

‘Only One Earth’ was the motto for the first conference on the environment held in Stockholm in 1972. 50 years later, the #OnlyOneEarth motto is more relevant than ever – we have one planet and it’s our responsibility to look after it.

At Bupa, we’ve been looking after people’s health for the last 75 years. Today, this means taking care of the planet too, because healthy people need a healthy planet. We know there is more work to do, but here are some of the actions that Bupa has taken so far to find solutions to the challenges facing our planet and accelerate the urgent transformation needed to tackle the climate emergency.

Driving progress to decarbonise our business

The impact of the healthcare sector on the planet is well-established: our sector creates 4.4% of greenhouse gas emissions and up to 99 million metric tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste – so first and foremost, we need to start with our own area of influence.

We have committed to Science Based Targets which underpin Bupa’s ambition to become a Net Zero business by 2040. Our 1.5°C-aligned targets, commended by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), will help ensure that Bupa makes transformational progress this decade in line with the levels required to meet the Paris Agreement goals; the most ambitious designation available.

In February Bupa Australia commenced the supply of renewable electricity for all of our Australian aged care homes and corporate offices. This will ensure 100% green power for all our directly controlled Australian sites for the next five years.

Our energy supply in Australia is now sourced from wind and solar hydro assets, such as the Crowlands windfarm in rural Victoria. This move will save over 25,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of taking over 5,500 cars off the road annually.

Bupa’s largest markets are already mainly powered with renewable energy: 100% of the electricity used in Spain and New Zealand, over 90% in the UK and over 70% in Chile come from renewable sources.

In Sanitas, Bupa’s Spanish business, we are making our patients part of our digital, sustainability journey with the CO2 Calculator within Blua, our digital health app.

The app shows our customer’s how their digital consultations have reduced their impact on the planet, such as:

  • One video appointment saves on average 3.1 kg “net” CO2 emissions avoided. This is the equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 186 trees per day.
  • One medical report downloaded saves on average 1.5 kg “net” CO2 emissions avoided. This is the equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 91 trees per day.

Digital health reduces the environmental impact of healthcare by decreasing the need for travel. It also offers an opportunity for patients to feel part of a sustainable alternative.

As part of our commitment to reach Net Zero by 2040, Bupa Global & UK have been optimising their energy saving measures in their care homes. Adjustments have been made to temperature settings and synchronising the embodied heat energy of the building materials and the timing when heating is required.

We have seen some fantastic carbon savings already and expect the project will save over 1,120 tonnes of CO2 over the year.

Accelerating the progress towards more sustainable innovation

Building a future where we find real solutions to the biggest sustainability challenges around healthcare requires collaboration.

Bupa has joined the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, a public-private healthcare collaboration, which was established to drive sustainable healthcare and business transformation. This partnership underpins Bupa’s ambition to become a Net Zero company by 2040 across its global healthcare operations and value chain and it also and complements our involvement in the Climate and Health Coalition.

The Coalition is a multi-stakeholder initiative. Its mission is to mobilise and equip the private sector to play a key role in accelerating the transformation of our health and climate systems, towards outcomes that deliver benefits for both people and planet. It was co-founded by Bupa, GSK and Walgreens Boots Alliance and facilitated by Forum for the Future.

Last year, through our hugely successful eco-Disruptive global talent programme 126 participants in 18 teams engaged 900 start-ups who worked together across six challenge areas to develop solutions to some of our biggest environmental issues.

Sanitas is working with the winner of eco-Disruptive 2021, a start-up – Circoolar – to pilot their uniforms in 10 dental clinics in Spain starting from September 2022. The uniforms produced by Circoolar combine both environmental and social benefits as they are made from recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton and are designed to incorporate improvements requested by clinical staff.

Protecting, regenerating and restoring natural ecosystems

The Bupa Foundation Australia, has joined forces with Conservation Volunteers Australia to establish the Healthy Planet, Healthy People initiative to help activate a nationwide community of Nature Stewards focused on protecting our natural environment against climate change and biodiversity loss and their impact.

The Foundation also expanded its work to support activities in New Zealand with its first flagship project teaming up with Trees That Count to plan and plant three “legacy forests” in 2022, planting more than 10,000 native trees in Hamilton, Napier and Christchurch.

The Foundation is also funding an additional 5,000 native trees to be planted across New Zealand.

In April 2022, Bupa Hong Kong signed a five-year strategic partnership with environmental charity The Green Earth. The aim is to promote a sustainable environment in Hong Kong and an understanding of the connection between the health of people and the planet.

One of the initiatives focuses on enhancing biodiversity in Hong Kong by replacing 1,000 decaying trees with local species better matched to the habitat across 10,000 square metres of land.

A zero-carbon lifestyle e-book has also been co-developed through the partnership.

Our Bupa teams in Europe and Latin America launched the 7th edition of Healthy Cities in May 2022 at an event in Madrid. This initiative encourages people to get more active to protect their health and their environment. This year’s edition is taking place in Spain, Poland, Chile and Mexico. Participants are challenged to leave the car at home at least one day a week and aim to reach 6,000 steps a day during May and June. For everyone who reaches this goal, Sanitas in Spain will plant a tree, helping to rewild urban environments to improve the health of people.

Bupa Global & UK launched a campaign to donate #1MillionMinutes of time to health, community, and planet in May.

Our people from all over Bupa Global and UK took part - from team walks and litter picks, to gym sessions, meditation moments, community volunteering, and simply walking instead of using the car. More than one million minutes (17,000+ hours) of activity was logged and, as a result, we unlocked £250,000 of funding for our chosen charities: Trees for Cities and UNICEF.

Discover more about our global sustainability commitments.

For further details on our sustainability initiatives please contact [email protected]