At ECR 2025 in Vienna, over 20,000 attendees experienced a clear and consistent message: radiology must embrace environmental responsibility. Under the theme “Planet Radiology,” the conference emphasized the environmental footprint of diagnostic imaging and called on professionals—especially radiographers—to adopt greener clinical practices.
Reimagining the Hippocratic Oath in Climate Context
Speakers extended the Hippocratic principle—“to help, or at least to do no harm”—beyond patient care to include environmental stewardship. Ana Luísa Soares, radiation therapist and dosimetrist at the Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, reminded attendees that healthcare contributes about 5% of global carbon emissions, roughly two gigatons of CO₂ annually. “If healthcare were a country,” she said, “it would be the fifth-largest emitter worldwide.” Soares cited data from the 2019 Health Care Climate Footprint Report by Health Care Without Harm, highlighting that the EU, US, and China together contribute 56% of healthcare’s global climate footprint.
Identifying Radiology’s Environmental Impact
According to Soares, several elements in radiology and radiation therapy departments contribute to high emissions: energy-hungry workstations and imaging machines, radiotherapy linear accelerators, medical waste generation, and patient transportation logistics. She argued that radiographers are in a strong position to lead green initiatives in hospitals. “Their everyday responsibilities make them ideal members of hospital sustainability teams,” she noted, “particularly in identifying wasteful practices and pushing for feasible changes.”
Eco-Consciousness in Radiography Education
Elin Kjelle, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, observed that radiography students express genuine concern about climate change. However, they often lack practical knowledge and guidance on sustainable practices in imaging departments. Kjelle outlined several key barriers to implementing eco-friendly changes. These include limited managerial support, lack of authority to make changes, and resistance from peers. Other challenges are budget and time constraints, coordination issues across departments, and poor communication about unnecessary imaging from referring physicians. She emphasized integrating sustainability concepts into quality improvement education. “If we already teach the quality improvement cycle,” she said, “we can easily add sustainability improvement cycles.”
Reinforcing Sustainability in Clinical Practice
Kjelle stressed that sustainability training must extend beyond classrooms into clinical placements. Here, students can recognize inefficient practices, such as excessive energy use, poor recycling habits, and travel-heavy scheduling. She urged clinical managers to lead by example and stay open to innovation.
Small Changes, Big Impact: Lessons from Nuclear Medicine
Nicolò Sean Chiodini, a nuclear medicine radiographer at Ospedale San Raffaele in Rozzano, Italy, tackled the specific sustainability challenges in nuclear medicine. Despite the complexity, he highlighted practical actions that produce measurable benefits. Simple steps like switching off display monitors and enabling “sleep” modes on idle workstations can slash energy consumption by up to 70%. Energy-saving modes on PET and CT machines have shown around 30% energy savings and a 0.94 kg CO₂-equivalent reduction per hour, according to a 2023 Dutch study. Chiodini also emphasized proper waste segregation. For instance, separating paper and plastic could lower CO₂-equivalent emissions by 64% per procedure in nuclear medicine.
Innovative Solutions from Within
As reported by Healthcare in Europe, Chiodini shared real-world examples of practical innovation. One manager introduced an automatic injector system that uses just one needle, one cable, and one radiotracer vial, significantly reducing waste. Another strategy involved better managing waiting lists to avoid no-shows and radiopharmaceutical waste—by finding alternate patients for canceled slots.
Conclusion: Radiology’s Role in a Greener Future
ECR 2025 made it clear: radiology professionals have a responsibility to lead in sustainability. From integrating eco-conscious practices in daily workflows to incorporating environmental education into training. The shift towards greener imaging is both necessary and achievable. Small, consistent efforts—when multiplied across departments and countries—can collectively transform radiology’s carbon footprint.