Defining the Safe Operating Space for Healthcare: A Comparative Analysis of Allocation Principles Beyond Economic Value

Main Presenter:    Johannes Zobel 

Co-Authors:   Lukas Messmann     Andrea Thorenz      Axel Tuma                                    

The assessment of absolute environmental sustainability is critical for sustainable development, as the conventional focus on relative ecological efficiency in Life Cycle Assessments did not sufficiently impede the transgression of planetary boundaries. This transition is especially urgent for the healthcare system, where mounting pressures from environmental health and demographic changes threaten to worsen the sector’s planetary impact. This study evaluates the methodological choices for Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessments (AESA) of hospital operations, focusing on the challenge of downscaling the global Safe Operating Space to the organizational level. We critically analyze the implications of common allocation principles found in literature, arguing that utilitarian sharing principles based on economic value are inherently flawed for healthcare applications, as the primary function of hospitals is human welfare and not economic value generation. Instead, we propose
functional allocation principles centered on the population served. By comparing results across varying sharing principles, we demonstrate that the hospital’s assigned environmental budget fluctuates drastically based on the modeling choice. The analysis reveals that economic allocation underestimates the sector’s societal value, leading to distorted sustainability targets. Consequently, we advocate for the adoption of functional allocation logic in healthcare AESA to derive more resilient environmental budgets. Furthermore, full transparency regarding the selection rationale and the resultant sensitivity of outcomes is essential.

©2026 Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V. | Contact Us | Legal Info

CONTACT US

If you would like to get in touch with us, please feel free to send us a message. Thank you very much in advance.

Sending

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

Create Account