By Jane Crowe, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Global Medical Products and Distribution
Across Asia Pacific, healthcare systems are being asked to do more with less. Hospitals are managing workforce shortages, rising costs and ongoing pressure on supply chains, all while maintaining high standards of patient care. At the same time, healthcare organizations are being asked to reduce their environmental impact and build more resilient systems for the future.
What I find encouraging is that these priorities are increasingly viewed as connected. In conversations with healthcare leaders across the region, I’ve learned that sustainability is no longer seen as an isolated initiative. Instead, it is becoming part of the broader discussion about how to deliver more efficient, resilient and high-quality healthcare.
Here are four trends that I believe are helping shape that transition.
1. Sustainability is becoming part of everyday healthcare operations
One of the biggest shifts we're seeing is sustainability becoming part of day-to-day decision-making. Healthcare providers are looking more closely at how resources are used, where waste can be reduced and how supply continuity can be strengthened, all while maintaining patient outcomes and operational performance.
This is a practical evolution rather than an ideological one. When hospitals reduce waste, improve resource efficiency or make better use of limited clinical resources, they can often improve operational performance. This shift matters because sustainability can help address several operational challenges at once.
Reducing unnecessary materials can lower waste and disposal costs. Improving packaging can make transportation and storage more efficient. Better inventory management can reduce expired or unused products. Energy and water efficiency can also help manufacturers use resources more responsibly and reduce costs. This broader perspective is helping to shape procurement decisions, supplier partnerships, and long-term planning across the sector.
Sustainability may also influence the ability of healthcare organizations to attract and retain talent. An APACMed and Bain white paper found that 69% of people are more inclined to work for an organization that prioritizes sustainability. This is particularly relevant as healthcare systems continue to face workforce shortages.
The broader message is simple: sustainability works best when it is built into the way healthcare is designed and delivered, rather than treated as a separate initiative. It is increasingly being viewed as a tool to help address real-world challenges rather than simply an environmental objective.
2. Circular healthcare is gaining traction
Another encouraging trend is the growing interest in circular healthcare models. Across many industries, there is increasing recognition that valuable resources should remain in use for as long as possible. Healthcare is beginning to explore how those principles can be applied safely and effectively within clinical environments.
Single-use device reprocessing (known as remanufacturing in some markets) is a prime example. By collecting, cleaning, testing and ensuring eligible devices are safe for clinical use, healthcare systems can potentially reduce waste, lower disposal costs and make better use of existing resources while maintaining strict quality and safety standards.
Experience from the United States illustrates the potential. Through our Sustainable Technologies™ business, Cardinal Health reprocessed more than 21 million single use devices and diverted nearly three million kilograms of waste from landfill in fiscal 2025. A 2023 third-party lifecycle assessment found that the overall environmental footprint of a reprocessed device in the United States was, on average, 43% lower than that of a new single-use device. The same assessment found that a compression sleeve reprocessed five times had, on average a 43% lower carbon footprint.
Realizing the full potential of circular healthcare will require collaboration. Healthcare providers need confidence in the clinical evidence, regulators need clear and appropriate pathways and the industry needs to continue investing in proven solutions. Importantly, the conversation is increasingly moving beyond environmental benefits alone and towards broader operational and economic value.
3. Resilience and sustainability are becoming part of the same conversation
Perhaps the most important lesson from recent years is that resilience and sustainability are no longer separate discussions. The pandemic highlighted the importance of reliable supply chains, and also reinforced the value of reducing inefficiencies and making better use of limited resources. Today, many healthcare organizations are looking at ways to improve inventory visibility, optimize logistics and strengthen supply continuity. These efforts can help reduce waste and environmental impact while also supporting product availability and continuity of care.
This requires suppliers to act as strategic partners, rather than simply as product vendors. A resilient supply chain does more than hold inventory. It delivers products reliably, minimizes avoidable waste and optimizes the use of limited resources.
There are also practical opportunities in logistics. Consolidating deliveries, improving inventory planning and optimizing transportation routes can reduce environmental impact while maintaining product availability.
In my view, the opportunity is not to choose between sustainability and resilience, but to pursue both together. More efficient supply chains, smarter inventory management and increasingly localized models can help healthcare systems become more adaptable while supporting long-term sustainability goals.
4. Healthcare is taking a broader view of value
We're also seeing a gradual shift in how healthcare organizations assess value. While purchase price remains important, many providers are beginning to look more closely at the broader impact of products and solutions over time.
This view includes factors such as reliability, waste reduction, operational efficiency, supply continuity, staff time and environmental impact. Increasingly, healthcare leaders want evidence that a solution can deliver meaningful clinical and operational benefits, not simply a lower upfront cost. For example, Cardinal Health’s new Kangaroo OMNI™ Feeding Sets were redesigned to use 10% less tubing than the previous version, preventing more than 216,000 pounds (98,000 kilograms) of plastic waste from entering landfill each year.
I believe this is a positive development for the sector. It encourages innovation, creates greater transparency and helps focus attention on outcomes that matter most to healthcare providers and patients. Ultimately, the solutions that create the greatest long-term value are often those that improve efficiency, reduce waste and support better care.
Looking ahead
No single organization will solve these challenges alone. Building a more sustainable healthcare sector will require collaboration between healthcare providers, policymakers, regulators and industry partners.
The encouraging news is that we're already seeing signs of progress across Asia Pacific. While each market is at a different stage of the journey, there is growing recognition that sustainability, resilience and operational performance are closely linked. By continuing to work together and share practical solutions, we have an opportunity to build healthcare systems that are not only more sustainable, but also more efficient, resilient and better prepared for the future.
Jane Crowe is Cardinal Health’s Vice President, Asia Pacific. She oversees commercial operations for Global Medical Products and Distribution across a dynamic region spanning Oceanna, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. She is a passionate advocate for Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), and the former Vice Chair of the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA).