Climate Protection in Hospitals: ZNWU Expertise Featured on Hessenschau
Hospitals play a central role in public welfare and at the same time belong to the most energy- and resource-intensive institutions in modern societies. Against this background, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Klüh from the Center for Sustainable Economic and Corporate Policy (ZNWU) at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences was recently featured on Hessenschau in a television segment focusing on climate protection in hospitals.
The contribution explores how healthcare institutions can significantly reduce their environmental footprint through strategic energy management, sustainable procurement practices, optimized building operations, and organizational transformation while continuing to provide high-quality patient care. Prof. Klüh emphasizes that climate protection in healthcare is not only a technical challenge, but also an institutional and governance issue that requires coordinated action across management, staff, policy, and infrastructure.
In the interview, Prof. Klüh highlights the importance of viewing hospitals as key leverage points within broader sustainability transitions. By integrating climate targets into everyday operational decisions, healthcare systems can contribute meaningfully to national and regional climate goals while improving resilience, efficiency, and long-term economic stability. The segment illustrates how sustainability-oriented reforms in public institutions can generate both ecological and social value aligning well with ZNWU’s research focus on transformation processes between business, society, and policy.
The full contribution is now available online and offers concrete insights into how sustainability strategies can be translated into practice within complex organizational settings such as hospitals.