For hospitals, reducing environmental impact is no longer just about improving energy efficiency or reducing emissions from their own buildings and vehicles. Increasingly, the biggest challenge lies beyond the hospital’s own operations: in the supply chain.
This is where Scope 3 emissions come in.
From pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to food, waste, transport and purchased services, hospitals depend on extensive and complex value chains. Understanding the emissions associated with these activities is essential for developing a meaningful decarbonisation strategy – but it is also one of the most challenging parts of carbon accounting.
So how can healthcare organisations move from fragmented data and estimates to a more reliable understanding of their Scope 3 footprint?
From calculating emissions to understanding them
Calculating a carbon footprint is an important first step. But the real value comes from what organisations can do with the resulting data.
A useful Scope 3 approach should help answer questions such as:
- Which categories contribute most to our emissions?
- Where are our largest opportunities for reduction?
- Which data is based on actual activity and which relies on estimates?
- How can we improve data quality over time?
- How can procurement and sustainability teams work together to influence emissions in the supply chain?
- How do we create a reliable data foundation for future reporting and assurance?
This requires more than a one-off carbon calculation. It requires a structured approach to collecting, managing, calculating and improving emissions data.
Collaboration is essential
One of the biggest lessons from Scope 3 is that no single department can solve the challenge alone.
Sustainability teams need input from procurement. Finance can help establish reliable data processes. Suppliers play a critical role in providing better emissions information. And operational teams understand how products and services are actually being used within the organisation.
Bringing these perspectives together is particularly valuable in healthcare, where sustainability decisions are closely connected to patient care, procurement choices, budgets and operational continuity.
That is why open exchange between healthcare organisations can be so powerful. Hospitals often face similar challenges, but may be at different stages in their Scope 3 journey.
Sharing what works – and what does not – can help organisations move forward faster.
Learning from real-world healthcare data
To explore these challenges in practice, BDO and Salacia Solutions are bringing healthcare professionals together for an exclusive roundtable on Scope 3 emissions.
The session will start with insights from BDO’s Healthcare Sustainability Benchmark, followed by a practical deep dive into how Frisius MC calculated its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
The aim is not simply to discuss Scope 3 in theory. It is to create an open conversation about the practical challenges hospitals encounter when collecting data, calculating emissions and identifying opportunities for reduction.
Participants will have the opportunity to share their own experiences, challenges and solutions with peers from across the Dutch healthcare sector.
Building a better foundation for decarbonisation
The road to lower emissions starts with better insight.
For healthcare organisations, getting a grip on Scope 3 does not mean having perfect data from day one. It means creating a structured approach that allows organisations to establish a baseline, identify data gaps, improve data quality and progressively move towards more accurate and actionable insights.
Ultimately, the goal is not simply to produce a Scope 3 number.
It is to understand the drivers behind that number – and use that understanding to make better decisions.
Join the conversation
On 29 October 2026, BDO and Salacia Solutions will host the Healthcare Roundtable: Getting a Grip on Your Scope 3 Emissions in Utrecht.
The roundtable takes place from 10:30 to 12:00, followed by an optional networking lunch from 12:00 to 12:30.
The session is intended for healthcare professionals involved in sustainability, ESG reporting, decarbonisation, procurement, finance and other functions involved in understanding and managing hospital Scope 3 emissions.
Want to exchange experiences and learn how other healthcare organisations are approaching Scope 3? Register for the roundtable.
