Green Inhaler initiative lowers emissions at Tallaght University Hospital

Staff at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) are playing their part in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by switching to environmentally friendly inhalers. Their ‘greener inhaler’ project focused on reducing greenhouse gases from inhalers at TUH and making green inhaler prescribing a hospital policy.

The project involved educating both prescribers and patients on the impact inhalers have in terms of CO2 emissions, adding Green Prescribing information to the Hospital’s Audit Medicines Guide and switching to a greener version of the hospital’s most commonly prescribed inhaler. The doctors choose the right inhaler for the right patient, with the lowest carbon footprint possible and dispose of them correctly.

Supported by the HSE’s Spark Innovation Programme, the team at TUH was awarded the best sustainable waste management project at the HSE’s Annual Climate Conference recently. The Spark Programme encourages healthcare workers to develop solutions to improve our health service.

Impact:

Inhaler emissions were audited between 01/03/2024 and 31/12/2024 to assess policy change compared to the same period in 2023.

The audit results show:

• Total emissions fell from 91.5t to 75.9t CO2e
• Monthly emissions from inhalers fell by 22.8%
• Emissions from salbutamol inhalers fell from 77.7t to 58.2t CO2e

Commenting on the award, Dr Deirdre Fitzgerald, Respiratory (Pleural Medicine) and Integrated Care, TUH, said: “As clinicians, we have a responsibility, not only to deliver the highest standard of care, but to do so in a way that protects the future of our patients and the planet. This initiative is a testament to what is possible when innovation meets environmental stewardship.

“By changing our prescribing habits, we have shown at TUH that sustainability and clinical excellence are not competing priorities; they are complementary pillars of our hospital strategy. This work would not have been successful without cross-disciplinary collaboration and enormous effort on the part of our clinical pharmacists.”

Siobhán Power, National Innovation Fellow, HSE Spark Innovation Programme, added: “The HSE Spark Innovation Programme is proud to support frontline staff who are developing practical solutions to the very real challenges of climate change. From reducing surgical waste to conserving water and improving the sustainability of treatments, these projects show how frontline innovation can deliver impact and help build a healthier health service for everyone.”