Sustainability Annual Report 2025
In fiscal year 2025, Practice Greenhealth named UCI Health (UCIH) one of the top 25 hospitals in the country for sustainability.
Construction on the nation’s first all-electric medical center continued, completing the fully electric Joe C. Wen and Family Center for Advanced Care (CAC). The CAC and the new hospital are designed as LEED Platinum buildings, with the CAC having already received LEED Platinum certification.
Read More about Sustainability at UC Irvine health
UCIH has reduced its carbon emissions over 45% since 2019 and continues its decarbonization efforts to meet the White House Climate Pledge to reduce emissions 50% by 2030. In 2022, UCIH decommissioned a fossil fuel cogeneration plant, reducing natural gas consumption by more than 30%, and has significantly reduced its scope 2 emissions after transitioning to the UC Clean Power Program. Continued implementation of energy management strategies and efficiency projects resulted in a calendar year energy use intensity of 176. UCIH has achieved, on average, a 2.3% annual reduction in EUI from its 2013 baseline of 228.
UCIH added bicycle rack infrastructure to the main hospital campus and off-site clinics and added three new all-electric patient shuttles and 49 dual-port charging stations as part of its strategy to move to a clean energy fleet.
UCIH also focused on procuring healthy interiors that are free of chemicals of concern. The health system has been working with its suppliers to create and certify sustainable products and to raise the bar for quality and safety in health care furnishings. This year, UCIH spent $4.75 million on healthy interiors, representing 82% of its total spend on furnishings.
Stories
UCI Health Earns Sustainable Healthcare Certification From Joint Commission
UCI Medical Center has earned Joint Commission’s Sustainable Healthcare Certification. It is the first University of California hospital and fourth health care organization in the state to be certified. Recognition from Joint Commission demonstrates the achievement of UCI Health in establishing structure, rigor and accountability to accelerate its sustainability efforts. To earn this certification, UCI Health presented on three sources of greenhouse gas emissions: energy use, purchased electricity and anesthetic gas use.
UCI Health Makes History With Nation’s First All-electric Acute Care Hospital
UCI Health – Irvine is one of the first academic medical centers in the world to feature a noncombustion central plant with facilities that are 100% electric. This building is different from a traditional medical center in that it doesn’t use any carbon fuels for its normal operations. All electricity used will be either generated on-site or procured through sustainable sources. Reducing energy consumption and emissions is part of UCI Health’s commitment to community and environment.
ENERGY USE INTENSITY (EUI)
UC Irvine Health saw a decrease in its EUI in the calendar year 2024.
FOOD
of food and beverage purchases met sustainability criteria ($685K)
of food and beverage purchases were plant-based ($1.6M)
UCI Health continues to advance its sustainability goals through strategic improvements in Culinary and Nutrition Services. In 2024–25, plant-based food spend rose to just under 25%, up from 22% last year and slightly shy of the 25% target. Menu and product standardization efforts have supported this growth, alongside enhanced marketing for featured plant-based items. The team is also exploring new menu development technology to identify low-carbon options that can further reduce food-related emissions and strengthen UCI Health’s sustainability journey.
Healthy Vending
UCI Health spent approximately $10,600 on healthy vending food, 24% of its total vending food spend. The spend includes data from Canteen and reflects the offerings in three snack vending machines located on the UCI Health — Orange Campus.
healthy vending spend on food ($11K)
Healthy vending is defined as meeting UC’s Healthy Vending Guidelines. Data is from 2023–24.
procurement
green spend on appliances and IT hardware (97%)
green spend on office supplies (3%)
cost savings through medical device reprocessing (representing 31,779 pounds of waste avoided)
Compared to the previous year, UCI Health increased its cost savings through medical device reprocessing from just under $1.7 million to over $1.8 million and diverted over 16 tons of waste, demonstrating a commitment to both financial performance and environmental stewardship.
Green spend is defined as meeting preferred or minimum criteria in UC’s Sustainable Procurement Guidelines.
Suppliers reporting: Appliances and IT hardware (8), Office supplies (1).
“Reprocessing” refers to the FDA-approved re-manufacturing process carried out on a used device, including cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, testing and related procedures to allow its safe reuse. This process allows health facilities to reduce their reliance on single-use devices.
Transportation
UCI Health expanded charging infrastructure, adding 49 Level 2 electric vehicle charging ports, increasing the total to 136. Clean transportation fuel vehicles made up 43% of the fleet vehicles purchased in fiscal year 2025, including three battery electric patient shuttles.
of employees are utilizing sustainable commuting methods
of all vehicles and 0% of sedans and minivans acquired in 2025 were sustainable vehicles*
32%
of the fleet consists of sustainable vehicles*
EV charging ports
*Sustainable vehicles are defined as electric (zero-emission), plug-in hybrid or clean transportation fuel.
WATER
*Based on a 3-year average of fiscal years 2005-08
**2025 goal is a 36% reduction from baseline.
Compared to last fiscal year, UCI Health’s adjusted patient days increased by 10% but water usage only increased 1%. UCI Health exceeded the 2025 goal of reducing growth-adjusted water consumption by at least 36%, reducing water usage 59% from the policy-established baseline.
ZERO WASTE – GENERATION
*Per capita figures are calculated using Adjusted Patient Day (APD).
**Data provided if not counted in other waste streams.
UCI Health saw a decrease in total waste generated from 34 pounds last year to this year’s 29 pounds per adjusted patient day (APD). It continues to find new strategies for achieving the 2025 zero waste goal of 25 pounds per APD. UCI Health is launching new diversion projects, including a blue wrap recycling program, and updating its clinician preference management cards to reduce waste and improve efficiency in the operating room. In May, UCI Health rolled out new waste bins to promote proper waste segregation, and is building an educational campaign to support these efforts.
Single-Use Plastics Phase-Out
Complete Phase-out*
- Plastic bags
- Foodware (UC dining facilities)
- Foodware (third-party dining facilities)
- Beverage bottles (UC dining facilities)
Partial Phase-out
- N/A
Starting Soon
- Beverage bottles (vending machines)
*Complete phase-out of single-use plastics may include exemptions where reasonable alternatives to plastic do not exist.
UCI Health continued making progress toward eliminating single-use plastics. It removed single-use plastic bottles from all retail spaces. Previously, more than 20,000 plastic bottles of water, juices, sodas and protein shakes were sold every month. Those beverages are now sold in recyclable aluminum cans and glass bottles.
Awards
UCI Health was named one of the Top 25 hospitals in the country for Environmental Excellence by Practice Greenhealth. It also received the Circle of Excellence Award in both Transportation and Energy and the one-time Making Medicine Mercury Free Award from Practice Greenhealth. UCI Health’s flagship hospital was the first UC and fourth health care organization in the state to receive the Sustainable Healthcare Certification from The Joint Commission.
A full list of awards is featured on the UC Office of the President’s website.
Combined Data
Progress on the following policy areas for this Health System is reported by the campus location: