Infection prevention is fundamentally about protecting patients and reducing harm, which aligns with sustainability goals. Preventing healthcare associated with infections and related outbreaks saves resources by decreasing length of stay, avoiding extra antibiotic use, extended hospitalizations, and the need for more intensive interventions. At the same time, infection prevention and control (IP&C) experts can champion environmentally conscious practices, ensuring waste reduction does not compromise safety.  The article Greening Infection Prevention and Control: Multifaceted Approaches to a Sustainable Future in Open Forum Infectious Diseases outlines how IP&C can adopt low-impact high yield practices such as prioritizing hand hygiene, implementing vaccination programs, evidence based use of transmission based precautions, and promoting reusable medical device-- targeted isolation while also reevaluating resource-intensive routines like surface disinfection in low-risk zones. This balance between patient safety protection and sustainability is key.

Focusing on high-value measures rigorous hand hygiene, source control, targeted transmission-based precautions, vaccination, and outbreak prevention while reducing low-yield, energy-intensive practices that are not based on evidence. Embedding environmental considerations into standard IP&C ensures that safety and sustainability move forward together.

Proper waste segregation ensures that only truly infectious materials are autoclaved or incinerated, both energy-intensive processes. Much of hospital waste like packaging or office supplies is non-infectious and can be recycled or treated as standard trash. By training staff to sort waste accurately, hospitals can cut emissions, lower costs, and reduce their environmental footprint.

During the pandemic, global use of single-use PPE skyrocketed. Studies estimate over 8 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste were generated, with tens of thousands of tons entering oceans. This underscores the urgent need to balance preparedness and infection control with sustainable supply models, including reusables and improved waste management strategies.

Climate disruptions such as flooding, extreme heat, and supply-chain interruptions threaten infection control infrastructure. A recent review on climate change and resilience for antimicrobial stewardship and IP&C outlines steps like reinforcing water and ventilation systems, stocking reusable equipment, and building environmental constraints into emergency protocols.

Collaboration is essential. IP&C teams can bring expertise in safety, while sustainability professionals provide tools for measuring environmental impact. Together they can audit current practices, trial reusable PPE, and set measurable targets for reducing waste without increasing risk. This partnership ensures that both patient safety and planetary health are prioritized.