Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, has been named a Green Innovation Award winner at the ACES Awards.
Cancer is the second-most common cause of death in the Asia-Pacific, with a projected estimate of 15.1 million new cases diagnosed yearly until 2040. Despite this, many low-to-middle income countries in the region suffer from inadequate access to lifesaving cancer treatments.
Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company, is pioneering initiatives to enhance greater access to cancer care while limiting carbon emissions and extending product lifecycles.
“We drive sustainability through innovations in products, systems and services; utilising artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve clinical processes and workflows; and building crucial support tools for clinicians,” said Mr Kenneth Tan, president, Asia Pacific & Japan, Varian.
For its achievements in the field of sustainable healthcare, Varian was named a Green Innovation Award winner at the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards 2023 (ACES Awards). The annual awards – which recognise inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates cross-industry and across Asia – are organised by MORS Group, an organisation aiming to highlight Asia’s success stories on the world stage.
WINNING ACCOLADES FOR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Ms Shanggari Balakrishnan, MORS Group’s CEO, said that the decade-old ACES Awards focus on sustainability and are not backed by any commercial entities. “With our ‘no donations’ policy, all our winners are chosen solely on merit and how they score on our indices and matrixes,” she shared.
Ms Balakrishnan added that Varian, as an eco-friendly oncology tech solutions provider, impressed the ACES Awards panel of judges.
Varian’s radiotherapy machine, Halcyon, is one example of its commitment to sustainability. “Hull University Teaching Hospital in the United Kingdom replaced an older machine with the Halcyon and was able to treat 23 per cent more patients while reducing power consumption by more than 70 per cent,” recounted Mr Tan. “This roughly equates to 8.36 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year saved.”
According to Mr Tan, the machine also enabled a Thai hospital to streamline as many as 30 complex steps into nine intuitive steps. This cut patients’ time spent in the treatment room by half, increasing the number of patients that can be treated at the hospital.
Halcyon’s innovation extends to its smaller radiation protection bunker, which results in an estimated 57.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide savings, added Mr Tan. “Our measures not only reduce the resource consumption of our systems but also improve resource efficiency in our supply chain,” said Mr Tan.
Moreover, Varian goes beyond technological advancements by actively empowering healthcare providers to extend cancer care to underserved communities. The company collaborates with partners to explore and implement affordable ways of delivering treatment. This multifaceted approach contributes to a sustainable healthcare ecosystem in the markets where Varian operates.
AN ECOSYSTEM THAT BUILDS UP SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS
Varian joins the ranks of emerging Asian sustainability leaders in the ACES Circle, an honour roll of past ACES winners. This recognition opens doors to opportunities to participate in events such as the inaugural ACES Summit, held on Nov 23.
Themed Actioning ASEAN’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG): A Vision for Sustainable Progress, the ACES Summit provided a platform for business leaders, sustainability advocates and thought leaders to explore transformative strategies for an equitable, resilient and sustainable future for all.
ACES winners also gain access to the ACES Institute, a group of experts dedicated to addressing critical corporate issues.
Said Ms Balakrishnan: “ACES draws on strong research-backed data from Malaysian sustainability consultancy firm Aubrens. This data is available to ACES winners, as are findings from Goeman Bind HTO, a non-profit international development, public policy and law research think-tank that is a Centre of Excellence in the ACES Institute.”
Moreover, ACES Awards winners benefit from increased visibility and the opportunity to connect with customers interested in sustainable products and services.
Said Ms Balakrishnan: “We help tell these stories of success, in the hopes that they serve as a catalyst for other corporations to put into place measures that will spark a climate awareness revolution in their industries.”
Send in your nominations for the ACES Awards 2024 and take your place at the ACES Circle alongside other ACES winners from past years.
