Your practice and the planet – small changes, big steps towards sustainability

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  Posted by: Dental Design      17th September 2021

People have been talking about climate change for longer than most of us realise; the term “global warming” was first used in a scientific paper in 1975.[i] Multiple studies have presented evidence to indicate that the planet is getting warmer, also that it is “extremely likely” this trend can be attributed to human activity.[ii],[iii] For some time now, we have all been encouraged to be more conscious of how our behaviour impacts on the environment, and to make changes where we can.

The message had been getting much louder in recent years, and the movement gathering considerable pace. Separating our waste may now be routine, but we’re still throwing too much away. It is estimated that British households create over 26m tonnes of waste annually, with England recycling just 44% (less than Wales and Northern Ireland, but slightly more than Scotland, at 43%).[iv]

Since last year, you may have been thinking about your place in the global community, and what more you can do to protect the planet. Much has been, and will continue to be written about the impact of Covid-19 on climate change – the World Meteorological Organization said that although carbon emissions did fall as a result of lockdowns, the pandemic only “marginally slowed” the rise in concentrations of CO2.[v] Finding practical, ongoing ways to be greener – backed up by action from governments; climate change was a key topic at the G7 summit in June – has never been more crucial.

Take the message to your practice and patients

What can be done in the dental practice? You could start by calculating your carbon footprint – there are plenty of online tools to do this – then look at ways to reduce it. You might even make this a feature display in your reception area and it may prove a great way to encourage patient engagement, piquing their interest while improving your green credentials.

Simple changes including switching to energy-saving lightbulbs and making sure lights are switched off when not in use. Check and fix leaky taps and cisterns and get people to reuse their own mugs when they can, to cut down on washing-up. Incentivise cycling, walking or taking public transport to get to work, or set up a car-share scheme. Investigate going paperless; there are excellent practice management software options available, which will also boost efficiency.

Recycle where you can, but think about how to reduce waste. Infection control protocols will require some items to be disposed of immediately after use, or washed after one wear, but unnecessary waste can be significantly limited. Look at the products you use, but take it beyond whether something can be recycled or not. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology that measures the environmental impact of a product or service from its manufacture through to its consumption/use and disposal. A LCA will take into account all the resources required, as well as emissions produced at every stage, and can be used to make an informed choice.

It must be accepted that plastic waste in the dental practice cannot be eliminated entirely, but you can be mindful of best practice. The plastics’ industry established Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) in north America, and it has been implemented in Europe since 2015. OCS is a programme designed to “prevent the loss of plastic granules (pellets, flakes and powders) during handling by the various entities in the plastics value chain and their release into the environment”.[vi] OCS helps companies strengthen their sustainability by committing to actions including providing employees with training in spill prevention, containment, clean-up and disposal.

 

Away from plastics, when a product is labelled with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, this indicates that it is eco-friendly and has been responsibly sourced. FSC certification is a “gold standard” system that enables the identification and purchase of wood, paper and other products made with materials from “well-managed forests and/or recycled sources”.[vii] Some oral hygiene suppliers are now producing tools manufactured using FSC-certified materials; most recently, TANDEX launched the WOODI interdental brush, that enables gentle and effective cleaning with a handle made from FSC-certified sustainable birchwood (the box is fully recyclable too). TANDEX also supports local sourcing for the manufacture of all its products and has invested in renewable energy for its factory; it is also a supporter of OCS.

Working in oral health promotion, we try to get patients to engage with our message, making small changes for long-term impact. The delivery of this message starts with education, which empowers people to make better choices. This is similar to climate change – we must first learn, then make positive changes and consistently apply them. Living more sustainably is something we can all do and patients of every age are interested in being greener and cleaner. If climate change is the next global crisis of our time, it can also be a catalyst to change the way you do things not just at home, but in the dental practice too.

For more information on Tandex’s range of products,
visit
https://tandex.dk/ or visit the Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Tandex-UK/234855250044190?fref=ts

 

[i] A brief history of climate change. BBC Science & Environment, 20 September 2013. Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15874560 (accessed June 2021).

[ii] NASA. Global climate change. Vital Signs of the Planet. Scientific consensus. Link: https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ (accessed June 2021).

[iii] The Royal Society. Climate change evidence and causes. Link: https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/question-3/ (accessed June 2021).

[iv] UK Statistics on Waste. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Report dated March 2020.

[v] WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. 23 November 2020. Link: https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=10437https://library.wmo.int/doc_num.php?explnum_id=10437

[vi] Operation Clean Sweep. Link: http://www.opcleansweep.eu/the-program/

[vii] Forest Stewardship Council. Link: https://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk/about-fsc

 

  • Author Kimberley Lloyd- Rees on behalf of Tandex

Kimberley graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2010, where she now works as a clinical tutor in Dental Hygiene and Therapy as well as working in practice. She has spent her career working across a variety of specialist private and mixed dental practices, for the MOD and volunteering her time to a dental charity in Nepal.

 


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