A decade of sustainable commitment: healthcare sector accelerates toward 2030

Ten years have passed since the United Nations adopted the SDGs, and sustainability is no longer just an aspiration—it is now an urgent challenge. The 2030 Agenda reminds us that there are only five years left to meet these commitments, making this a good time to look back, assess progress and focus on the work still ahead. 

Healthcare has a notable impact: it accounts for 4.4% of global CO₂ emissions and Catalonia generates more than 96 tons of hospital waste every day, half of which is medical. This significant consumption of energy and single-use materials highlights the need to adopt more responsible practices—not only to meet goals, but also to ensure a healthy future. 

In this context, in 2023 the Government of Catalonia approved the new Catalan Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change looking to 2030, with the goal of improving climate resilience and reducing vulnerability through more than 300 adaptation measures. 

Accordingly, the Catalan Ministry of Health made the 2021–2025 Health Plan more ambitious and updated the 2026 Health Plan to include the effects of climate change on health as a key challenge and make primary care the backbone of the system, integrating both climate change and the SDGs into healthcare system planning in Catalonia. 

Legislative and regulatory framework: a driver of change 

This year, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (NEIS/ESRS) came into force, requiring large companies to report transparently on their environmental impact2. Plus, recently passed Directive 2025/794 has adjusted implementation timelines to give companies more flexibility. 

In the healthcare sector, highlights include the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which requires producers of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics to cover up to 80% of treatment costs to eliminate microcontaminants, mainly pharmaceutical residues. In Spain, Royal Decree 214/2025 has created a national carbon footprint registry and Royal Decree 718/2024 requires plans to prevent environmental risks to human health. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health, along with the Public Procurement Observatory and other entities, presented the Responsible Public Procurement for Healthcare initiative, a practical guide for incorporating environmental, social and ethical criteria in healthcare procurement processes.

Highlights of BioRegion sustainability actions in 2025 

For the fifth year in a row, Biocat —firmly committed to advancing the sector’s ESG strategy— has compiled the most relevant sustainability actions in the BioRegion. This is an opportunity to measure progress and review the challenges that remain ahead, in Catalonia and the world. 
 

Public administration / system 

1. The Government of Catalonia allocated €32 million (40–50% of the Public Buildings Rehabilitation Program funds) to renovate 12 primary care centers and two regional hospitals, aiming for greater energy efficiency by 2026.
2. The Barcelona City Council announced the creation of the Barcelona Investment Fund (2025), with €30 million to support startups in strategic sectors like the sustainable economy, healthcare and biotechnology.
3. The Catalan Ministry of Health also launched a new tool to calculate the carbon footprint of primary care, the first of its kind in Spain, which is key to achieving full decarbonization of the healthcare system by 2050.
4. L’Energètica, the public renewable energy company supplying much of the Catalan government, has expanded clean energy distribution within the public sector. This year, Salut Sant Joan de Reus joined as a user, with an annual consumption of 19.2 GWh.
5. Finally, although not updated for 2025, there is the “Sustainability guide for the health and social sector” published by the Health and Social Consortium of Catalonia in 2023. The guide not only lays out environmental sustainability strategies for the sector, but also provides practical recommendations for all BioRegion entities. 
    

Hospitals and healthcare centers 

1. More than 40 organizations have joined the Catalan Union of Hospitals Health and Climate Manifesto, which promotes collective commitment to accelerating sustainable transformation in healthcare.
2. Hospital Clinic joined the Catalonia 2030 Alliance, committing to integrating sustainability into hospital management. It also organized the first sustainability days in 2025 with IDIBAPS and ISGlobal.
3. Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (Can Ruti) announced a pilot project to become the first major Catalan hospital to operate without gas by 2027.
4. Hospital de Viladecans has cut anesthetic gas emissions by up to 90% by eliminating desflurane from all surgical procedures.
5. New IoT monitoring systems, artificial intelligence and energy optimization solutions are being introduced in cleanrooms, reducing energy and material consumption without compromising safety or medical quality. These are already in place at Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Germans Trias i Pujol and the GMP cleanrooms at Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital Clinic and Sant Pau.
6. The Consell de Col·legis de Metges de Catalunya (CCMC) launched the first Premis d’Acció Climàtica i Salut Planetària (Climate Action and Planetary Health Awards) to recognize sustainable projects in healthcare settings. 
    

Pharmaceutical industry

1. According to recent Farmaindustria data, 70% of electricity consumed by the pharmaceutical sector is renewable, and 8 in 10 companies have climate neutrality targets.
2. Esteve has created a roadmap to reach climate neutrality by 2050, with 100% renewable energy consumption, reducing Scope 2 emissions to zero. The company also conducts climate risk analyses and holds ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certifications for its facilities.
3. Grifols earned “Zero Waste to Landfill” validation for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting efforts to minimize waste. In 2024, 44.6% of its global electricity consumption came from renewable sources.
4. Almirall implemented key solutions for water reuse and optimization, reducing consumption in Spain by 16% and advancing toward the global targets for 2030 in its Act4Impact 2030 strategy.
5. Ferrer presented its sustainability report, highlighting a 55% increase in investment in social and environmental projects in 2024. It also achieved 136.4 points on the B Corp certification, making it the highest-rated pharmaceutical company in the world.
6. Roche Diagnostics (Sant Cugat) completed an energy-efficient renovation of its headquarters, improving thermal insulation and lighting, and is working toward becoming a low-emission campus. Globally, Roche has net-zero targets validated by SBTi, setting a clear roadmap for climate commitments.
7. Siegfried has been awarded the EcoVadis Gold Medal for its Barberà and El Masnou sites and has reduced its carbon emissions by 45%.
8. Medichem and Klinea also earned B Corp certification for implementing sustainable practices in their production processes. 
    

Research centers and scientific institutions 

1. The ”La Caixa” Foundation approved its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, allocating more than €4 billion to drive social transformation.
2. The CCiTUB (Scientific and Technological Centers of the University of Barcelona) installed a new system to recover and liquefy helium from five nuclear magnetic resonance devices at the Barcelona Science Park.
3. The GAM group at Institut Químic de Sarrià is leading a pioneering research study on sustainable materials for infrastructures. Standout projects include Biostone, an initiative for marine regeneration that led to the creation of the spin-off NextReef Ecosystems, which has won several environmental innovation and entrepreneurship awards.
4. The new Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) building, inaugurated in December 2024, was designed with sustainable architecture: green roof, natural light and passive solutions to reduce energy consumption.
5. The University of Girona ranked among the seventy most sustainable universities in Europe, reinforcing higher education as a driver of change.
6. The UB MútuaTerrassa Chair of Health and Climate Change, created in 2023 to promote research and outreach on the impact of climate change on health, will host this October its first symposium Climate and Health Crisis: Innovative Policies for Mitigation and Adaptation in the Health Sector, bringing together international experts and key institutions.
7. IBEC received My Green Lab certification, with roughly 60–70% of its laboratories certified, including core facilities, directly improving equipment energy use, reagent management and reducing lab waste in 2025.
8. The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) 2024 Results Report highlights the installation of more than 12,000 LED lights and 170 solar modules, achieving an estimated annual energy savings of 900,000 kWh.
9. The Spanish Government and the Government of Catalonia approved a budget of €926.2 million for the ALBA II project, which includes the new 3Sbar beamline for environmental and sustainability research.
10. The Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) launched CALIOPE-Urban, an open model capable of predicting street level air pollution (NO₂) with 20-meter resolution and 24–48 hour lead time, supporting public health and environmental policymaking.
11. ISGlobal strengthened its Planetary Health and Healthy Cities agenda, including a February 2025 study showing the positive impact of green corridors on reducing mortality.
12. EMBL Barcelona co-organized the symposium “Sustainable Research: Fit for the Future”, part of the EMBL sustainability strategy to promote sustainable practices in research laboratories.
13. The Barcelona Science Park (PCB), which has had a Sustainability Plan in place since 2022, is now developing a Mobility Plan to encourage more sustainable commuting and reduce transport-related emissions, involving several entities, including Biocat. 
     

Investors and startups 

1. Although no major updates have been reported recently, the country’s leading venture capital funds are increasingly incorporating sustainability and positive impact into their investment strategies. Ysios Capital published its first ESG Report in 2024, while Aliath Bioventures is consolidating its role as an Article 9 fund with measurable impact goals. Asabys Partners certified its social responsibility system in alignment with the SDGs, and Ship2B Ventures quantified its results in emissions, water savings and social benefit.
2. Among startups, Vytrus Biotech renewed its EcoVadis Platinum recognition in 2025, once again placing it among the top 1% of the world’s most committed companies.
3. Integra Therapeutics, previously recognized as the first startup to achieve Platinum level My Green Lab certification—covering energy efficiency, waste management, material selection and safer chemicals—stood out in 2025 for relocating its headquarters to the new Advanced Therapies Platform at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu in Barcelona. This facility enhances the efficiency and sustainability of R&D and production by bringing therapeutic development closer to hospitals and the broader healthcare ecosystem. 
    

Overall, activities by startups and investors remain limited. Biocat encourages the entire ecosystem to take a step forward, promote sustainable projects and share them to boost visibility and inspire new initiatives. To share your startup’s sustainability initiatives, fill out this survey. 

In this collective commitment, Biocat is also working on its ESG strategy, which includes developing its first Sustainability Plan. This plan will establish lines of action to reduce the organization’s environmental footprint and systematically integrate social, environmental and governance criteria into all our activities.

The next horizon: only five years left 

2030 is fast approaching and the healthcare sector is facing an urgent challenge: to consolidate progress in sustainability and make it a structural pillar. The next five years must be dedicated to scaling up best practices, advancing circularity and waste management, and embedding sustainability into the culture of professionals, companies and institutions. 

This decade is decisive: only with intense, coordinated commitment will the Sustainable Development Goals become reality.