Located in Terrassa, Barcelona, Mútua Terrassa is a large healthcare organization serving over one million people. In 2020, they launched a “Green Commitment” climate action plan, focusing on energy transition, circular economy, sustainable mobility, and climate adaptation research. Following a study tour to Geneva in 2022, organized by the Catalan Union of Hospitals (La Unió) and the Geneva Sustainability Centre (GSC), the organization gained tools and knowledge to implement low-carbon, resilient healthcare practices. In 2023, they became one of the first hospitals globally to pilot the Sustainability Accelerator Tool (SAT), further advancing its sustainability journey with support from the GSC.
How has the Geneva Sustainability Centre influenced Mútua Terrassa’s approach to sustainability?
The Green Commitment team found that, after participating in the GSC’s learning programme, they could approach sustainability with a higher level of sophistication and detail, allowing them to be more effective in decarbonizing their organization. They therefore decided to develop a new climate action plan with a structure quite similar to the GSC approach to sustainable, low-carbon, and resilient healthcare.
Several additional elements from Mútua Terrassa’s experience with the GSC learning programme were, first, learning about the sustainability practices of other organizations which they can then implement in their own organization; and second, using the Carbon Emissions Learning Lab (CELL), which they found motivating and useful for changing their own mindset about sustainability, and also helped to better understand which sustainability initiatives to prioritize.
How is the new climate action plan structured?
The final structure of the new climate action plan includes 11+1 areas of focus. The eleven areas are inspired by the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, while its content is based on the recommendations of the SAT. The aspect of governance, particularly shared governance, is the “plus one” and is considered the key element and the most successful part of their plan.
How did SAT support the development of the new climate action plan?
Given the level of detail of the questionnaire, completing the diagnostic required the collaboration of different hospital services and departments. The Green Commitment team used this task as an opportunity and starting point to get in touch with the different centres, services, and departments, establishing a highly cross-cutting vision of sustainability.
“The approach you proposed to us had a higher level of sophistication and detail. And for us to be much more effective in decarbonizing, we need to delve into this level of detail that you offered us.”
Josep Rull, former Director of the Green Commitment Area
Conclusion
In conclusion, SAT has supported Mútua Terrassa to progress in a quick and intensive way, providing a method and recommendations to set out specific lines of work to achieve sustainability objectives. Through an effective workforce engagement process inspired by the GSC, this organization has strengthened its sustainability proposals and the role of sustainability as a priority for the management team and the rest of the workforce.
After participating in the pilot phase of the SAT, the Green Commitment team reaffirms the impact of the tool on improving sustainability across the system. The team found that it was not only a matter of assessing the maturity level of the organization but also considering new mechanisms to improve, especially using the SAT’s methodology that allows setting tangible, measurable objectives to chart a clear path to sustainability.