Fengyuan Hospital completes first colonoscopy carbon footprint audit

Fengyuan Hospital has completed the first carbon footprint assessment for colonoscopy services in Taiwan, becoming the first hospital under the Ministry of Health and Welfare to conduct such a medical service audit. Following the ISO 14067 international standard, the study quantified emissions across the entire lifecycle, including medical consumables, energy use, transportation, and medical waste.

The assessment revealed that a standard colonoscopy produces approximately 10.755 kg of CO2 equivalent per person. If a polypectomy is performed during the procedure, the emissions increase to approximately 14.206 kg of CO2 equivalent. The findings identified medical consumables and energy consumption as the primary sources of carbon emissions.

Hospital Director Li Yong-heng stated that this data-driven approach aims to identify carbon hotspots to optimize medical processes and improve resource efficiency without compromising patient safety. The hospital plans to expand these carbon footprint assessments to additional medical services to support the national 2050 net-zero emissions policy.