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Knoxville, TN· University Health System· 710 beds

University of Tennessee Medical Center

The region's only academic medical center and Level I Trauma Center for East Tennessee. UT Medical Center pursues energy efficiency, waste diversion, and sustainable food sourcing across its Knoxville campus while supporting clinical research into environmental health.

Energy efficiencyWaste reductionAcademic medical center
Sustainability report
Peer benchmark

Compare to peers

Better than peers on progress
0%
vs. 0 peers · median 0%
Better than peers on waste/bed
0%
peer median 0.0 t/bed/yr
Your progress
42%
3 stated goals

Percentiles compare this hospital against peers in the selected set. Higher is better on both metrics.

Stated commitments

Goals & progress

Reduce campus energy use intensity
Target Measurable reduction by 2030 · baseline 2019 · Energy per square foot across the Knoxville campus
On track
40% of the way to goal4 yrs remaining
Behind on this goal — 3 peers further along:
Expand recycling and waste diversion
Target Higher diversion rate by 2028 · baseline 2020 · Single stream recycling and OR waste segregation
On track
45% of the way to goal2 yrs remaining
Projected impact if deployed
Current 45%Projected 65.9%
+20.9 pts
Est. 406 tons/yr of waste diverted across the matched solutions.
Contributing solutions

Directional estimate. Tons modeled from this hospital's annual waste footprint and category benchmarks (Practice Greenhealth, vendor case studies). Diminishing returns applied when multiple solutions share a category.

Behind on this goal — 3 peers further along:
Increase local and sustainable food sourcing
Target Local sourcing program by 2027 · baseline 2021 · Food services local procurement and waste reduction
On track
42% of the way to goal1 yrs remaining
Projected impact if deployed
Current 42%Projected 55.8%
+13.8 pts
Est. 255 tons/yr of waste diverted across the matched solutions.
Contributing solutions

Directional estimate. Tons modeled from this hospital's annual waste footprint and category benchmarks (Practice Greenhealth, vendor case studies). Diminishing returns applied when multiple solutions share a category.

Behind on this goal — 3 peers further along:
Vendor match

Solutions that map to these goals

Products from our solutions directory that align with this hospital's stated commitments and active projects.

Compostable supplies
BioGown compostable isolation gown
Terraloam

The first closed loop, 100% compostable medical isolation gown. Replaces single use plastic gowns with a plant based alternative collected and composted through a take back program.

Impact: 176K+ gowns diverted from landfill, 95% collection rate, Premier Innovation Award winner.
View details →
Recycling & circularity
BioDigester on site composter
Terraloam

On site aerobic digester that turns up to 220 lbs of hospital food waste and Terraloam compostable film gowns into finished compost in 24 hours closing the loop between cafeteria and clinical waste streams.

Impact: Diverts ~40 tons/yr of combined food waste and compostable PPE per unit from landfill or incineration with no off site hauling.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
Single use device reprocessing
Stryker Sustainability Solutions

Largest reprocessor of single use medical devices in the U.S., recovering EP catheters, pulse oximeter sensors, compression sleeves and more for safe reuse.

Impact: ~$1B saved across 3,000+ customers and 26M+ lbs of waste diverted from landfill.
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Reusable / reprocessed devices
ReNewal device reprocessing
Medline

Reprocesses single use devices and repairs rigid/flexible scopes, extending product life while maintaining FDA cleared clinical performance.

Impact: Customers like Sharp HealthCare report seven figure annual savings plus large landfill diversion.
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Recycling & circularity
GENERATIONS closed loop lab plastic recycling
BD + Envetec

On site treatment system that decontaminates and recycles polystyrene petri dishes, PET tubes, medical tubing and polypropylene syringes back into usable resin.

Impact: Pilot study confirmed recovered resin meets virgin grade specs for re manufacture into healthcare plastics.
View details →
Compostable supplies
Plastic free medication cup
Plastilose

First fully plastic free, PFAS free medication cup, made from bacterial cellulose. Naturally biodegrades in ~3 months and is ISO 10993 biocompatibility tested.

Impact: Replaces billions of single use plastic souffle cups used for med pass each year.
View details →
Underway

Waste reduction projects

EnergySince 2023
HVAC and lighting modernization
Reducing campus energy consumption through retrofits and smart controls
RecyclingSince 2024
OR waste segregation initiative
Improving red bag versus clear bag separation in surgical services