Sustainability in NHS knowledge and library services

About sustainability and the action which can be taken by knowledge and library services.

Sustainability in NHS knowledge and library services 

Healthcare is responsible for about 4-5% of the nation’s carbon footprint. The Greener NHS programme has committed to net zero emissions as part of its Delivering a Net Zero NHS. 

For emissions within the NHS’ control, the aim is to get to net zero by 2040.  For those emissions it can only influence, it’s 2045.

There are several ways that NHS Library services can support the Delivering a Net Zero ambition.

Libraries can align themselves to their own organisations Green Plan through their own strategies and refer to CILIP’s Green Libraries Manifesto and the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for achieving good sustainable practice.  This could include:

• becoming involved with the Sustainability Team in your Trust
• becoming a Green Champion and offer evidence searching to support any Green Team competition
• reducing the Library carbon footprint by reuse and recycling e.g. books and furniture
• joining the Sustainability in NHS LKS Community of Practice
• attending Carbon Literacy training/e-learning
• switching to digital resources
• procurement decisions include an evaluation of the carbon footprint of library suppliers/products
• travelling to work in a greener way

The Knowledge for Healthcare Strategy has added improving working practices to contribute to a low-carbon society as a guiding principle

Some examples from LKS include buying eco-friendly materials, developing services which are digital by default, working in partnership to reduce duplication, and building sustainability into strategies and policy.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare libraries contributed to the NHS net zero goals by working from home, reducing travel to and from work, and by holding meetings virtually.  We have seen an increasing emphasis on digital resources and improving the knowledge and skills of the workforce.

Practical examples include:

• building sustainability into strategy, policy, and marketing initiatives
• developing services that are digital by default, providing online access to knowledge resources
• procuring “eco-friendly” materials
• managing waste: encouraging Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
• working with local estates teams to use water and energy from renewable sources efficiently.
• influencing the design of “green” library buildings
• working in partnership with other organisations to reduce duplication of effort

In addition, have a look at the projects from the NHS Green Libraries Fund 2024/25 on the Sustainability in NHS Knowledge and Library Services FutureNHS workspace. 

You will need to register for FutureNHS and join the workspace.

Partnership and collaborative working

The Sustainability in NHS LKS Community of Practice became a partner in the CILIP Green Library Campaign in 2024 along with other library sector organisations.  The CILIP Health Libraries Group Committee now has a Sustainability Lead role on its board, currently shared by Janine Hall and Adam Tocock from the NHS Libraries.

Sustainability in NHS KLS Community of Practice

NHS England LKS has set up a community of practice to showcase case studies, highlight best practice, share ideas and discuss issues about sustainability.

If you would like to join this Community of Practice, share a case study or what you're doing to support sustainability in your Trust or within your service, email the Co-chairs of the group: Adam Tocock at [email protected] and Lucy Gilham at [email protected]  

The community uses the FutureNHS collaboration platform. You will need to register and join the workspace once you have been added as a member. 

Sustainability in Healthcare bulletin

Hampshire Healthcare Library Service produces a monthly current awareness bulletin on sustainability in healthcare. Sign up to the distribution list for the bulletin. 

Green Libraries Week

This is an annual event in October that is dedicated to the green and sustainable work going on in all library sectors.  The campaigns can be run on social media with the hashtag #GreenLibrariesWeek.  Adaptable promotional material is provided for social media, library displays and local communications.

Case study of library shelving reuse from NHS Wales

Prince Philip Hospital Library recently removed oudated library shelving and replaced it without any waste. The new shelves were sourced second-hand from Cardiff University Library while the old outdated shelves went to the local medical records archive.

The library used Warp It to let people know the old shelevs were avbailable for others to use.

How big is your carbon footprint?

Complete this quetionnaire from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to  find out your personal carbon footprint – it can be quite surprising!  Think about ways in how you can reduce your own footprint.

The library footprint and handprint

Calculating the library service carbon footprint informs us which part of our services are the most carbon generating and the greatest energy consumers. 

Assessing the carbon footprint involves the following elements: heating, electricity, waste, transport, commuting, book and e-book procurement and other purchases such as furniture. 

This list comes from the Finnish Public Libraries project and may require adaptation for NHS Libraries as they are often not based in independent buildings and so do not look after the budget or have control of elements such as heating and electricity.

We can, however, take actions to minimise our waste by recycling, reusing and ensuring that computers, monitors and lighting is turned off when the library is not in use. Library networks also share resources which in doing so reduces carbon emissions. 

How to calculate your library footprint

• Book loan carbon footprint 0.46 kg CO2e  

• Physical visit carbon footprint 0.60 kg CO2e  
• E-book loan carbon footprint 0.008 kg CO2e (not including device and data transfer)  
• Library card carbon handprint 24.5 kg CO2e per card 

More detail on how the calculations work can be found in Bringing environmental awareness of public libraries to the 2020s.

The carbon handprint of a library card 

The carbon handprint can be seen as a more positive measurement than carbon footprint of a library.  

"Libraries produce [a] carbon handprint for their customers as the customers are able to reduce their carbon footprint by using library services. The carbon handprint of a borrowed library book is the difference in the emissions of a purchased book and a borrowed book, 0.7 kg CO₂e. When this figure is multiplied by the total number of book loans of libraries and divided by the number of borrowers, the carbon handprint of the library card is obtained." (The carbon footprint of your library).

What is Carbon literacy? 

Carbon literacy is also referred to as 'environmental sustainability literacy' or ‘sustainability literacy'. Attending a carbon literacy course will increase your awareness about the causes and impact of climate change. Becoming carbon literate will give you the tools to help mitigate ongoing global warming with personal and collaborative actions.   

Overall, knowing more about climate change can help address climate or eco-anxiety by increasing confidence, engaging with others and having a shared experience.  An accredited course tailored for libraries has been created by National Library of Scotland and CILIPS.

Carbon literacy for libraries shareable course 

This course has been tailored to library staff in all sectors using the Carbon Literacy Project model. It is accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project meaning you become certified as ‘Carbon Literate’ upon completing action plans.  You will also be able to go on to become a trainer yourself if you wish to.  Two members of NHS library staff contributed to the working group. Find out more at Carbon Literacy for Libraries (a short presentation by Laragh Quinney from the National Library of Scotland).

Carbon Literacy Project accredited training for NHS library staff in the future but in the meantime you can enroll on any of the available national courses. If you are interested in attending a course or becoming a certified trainer please contact [email protected] or [email protected].   

Digital in libraries

Is a digital book or resource greener than a print version?  Aspects to note are the number the number of loans of a print book, a book that is borrowed multiple times can end up having a lower carbon footprint than a resource accessed online or on an e-reader.  Also, the carbon emissions in the production of an e-reader or any device that a resource is accessed on, the storage of the data in the cloud, the carbon footprint of paper and printing all need to be calculated. For more information see Jisc's report on Exploring digital carbon footprints. 

National sustainability e-book collection

27 e-books on sustainability have been selected on the recommendations of LKS colleagues.