Taking action for ethical sustainability

At NRC, we pride ourselves on continuous sustainability research and practical implementation in our daily operations. This drives us to reduce our carbon footprint and to take action for the sustainability of our planet and future generations.

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Reducing waste water and our reliance on municipal water

Every successful dialysis treatment session requires a large volume of water. As much as 500L of raw water is used in one session, with less than 50% of this water treated to a level that meets our strict water policy. We launched a first-of-its-kind programme with the aim of reducing the high volume of waste water in our RO plants, and to ensure a higher percentage utilisation rate of raw product water. The implemention of new technology resulted in a decrease in the volume of water discharged, and increased product water with an annual national water saving in excess of 27 000KL. To further reduce our reliance on municipality supply and infrastructure, a borehole was installed in the Western Cape region so that clean ground water could be supplied to our RO plants. NRC will continue with this programme nationally, especially for use in our emergency centres.

Investing in a greener future

We are continuously investing in groundbreaking engineering initiatives and sustainable design at NRC. This will assist in achieving substantial and significant environmental benefits of current and proposed benchmarks, such as the Green Building Council South Africa’s (GBCSA) Green Energy Star ratings. The development of green buildings will incorporate the use of an improved site design comprising ecology, daylight usage, passive ventilation, solar energy, energy efficient appliances, the use of renewable material, and renewable construction methods that produce diminished waste material.

Minimising the use of paper

We freed up 66 cubic metres of landfill space and saved 466 trees by reducing the use of paper and recycling in our centres, through our Zero Paper to Landfill Programme. The success of this programme over the 2022 financial year significantly minimised NRC’s carbon footprint.

Recycled medical equipment

We recycled 10.7 tonnes in old or obsolete medical equipment by partnering with ethical recycling organisations. Each component, whether ferrous or non-ferrous metals, plastics or any other material, was broken down and sorted as part of the recycling process, preventing any component from ending up in landfills.