The wiser healthcare net zero program: a partnership to address the carbon footprint of NSW Health hospitals.

This publication examines the substantial carbon footprint of healthcare—globally and within Australia—and highlights clinical care as a major driver of emissions, alongside pharmaceuticals and hospital services. Focusing on New South Wales, it describes the NSW Health Net Zero Clinical Pilot Program (2022–2024), which supported clinician-led projects to reduce low‑value, wasteful, and harmful care while promoting high‑value, low‑carbon alternatives. The paper outlines a novel partnership between NSW Health and Wiser Healthcare to rigorously evaluate these initiatives, presenting the program as Australia’s first strategic, state-led investment in decarbonising clinical care and a scalable model for sustainable healthcare quality improvement, with early lessons relevant to health services and academic partnerships nationally and internationally.