In January, a CBC Marketplace article helped shed light on forced labour practices in overseas glove manufacturing facilities which supply Canada’s hospitals. The findings were highly concerning and prompted HealthPRO to identify opportunities to deliver more value for its membership through leadership in sustainability, or more formally, Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG).

In April, HealthPRO convened its Healthcare Leadership Advisory Council made up of healthcare executives from across the country to collaborate on a path forward.

“We have policies around environmental services, but we are very interested in working with HealthPRO to determine where we can work together to bolster our position on sustainability,” said Hugh Amiel, Director of Procurement at University Health Network.



One of the immediate actions HealthPRO has undertaken is the creation of a Sustainability Scorecard within the overall RFP Scorecard so that a member can compare pricing alongside sustainability scores to make a more informed decision.

“In addition to providing our members visibility into suppliers’ social, economic, and environmental policies and practices so they can achieve their organizational sustainability objectives, we also want to work with our suppliers to ensure the bar on sustainability continuously improves across the entire industry,” said Kendra Frey, Vice President, Materials Management for HealthPRO.

These enhancements will strengthen the current practice of evaluating whether suppliers adhere to the ISO20400 guidance document which offers practical guidance for suppliers to promote safe and secure working environments, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“We are doing more to help our members in this area,” noted Liana Scott, HealthPRO’s Vice President, Member Support. “As we work to ensure our business is operating from a position of sustainability, we also want to help healthcare facilities across the country become agents of change, propelling the movement toward more sustainable practices in healthcare procurement.”

There is much to be done but HealthPRO is committed to working in collaboration with stakeholders nationally and abroad to improve sustainable sourcing practices for all products used across our healthcare system.