Through Siemens Healthcare’s Proven Excellence Program, pre-owned medical devices, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance scanners, ultrasound and X-ray systems, are being refurbished to a mint condition to help save the environment on various fronts. The system’s refurbishment can be customized to fit the customer’s needs. Once the meticulous process is completed, the refurbished system is given the seal of approval as Proven Excellence System. This process gives customers more options when considering purchasing new medical devices and also aims to curb CO2 emissions. Last fiscal year, Siemens was able to prevent 20,000 tons of CO2 emissions, which corresponds to the power consumption of about 5,700 households. If that isn’t clear enough, 20,000 tons of CO2 is also what 32 hectares of tropical rainforest store in its vastness of trees. Recycling the resources available, extending the lifecycle of products, and planting new trees that actually store CO2 is a win-win situation. “Economical and efficient best-in-class refurbished systems tailored to customers supplement the innovative product portfolio at Siemens,” says Elisabeth Staudinger, CEO Refurbished Systems, Siemens.

With each Proven Excellence System sold, trees will be planted in the Sebangau National Park forest in Indonesia; an agreement that Siemens signed with the WWF Indonesia. Through the New-Trees-Initiative, 32 hectares of rainforest will be replanted. The number of seedlings is based on the amount of CO2 saved by the respective system sold. As an example, 80 seedlings, or one CT unit, will ultimately mature to store 14 tons of CO2. Each tree will have a WWF sign and the trees can be tracked on Google Earth to see how the rainforest is progressing. The nature reserve in Kalimatan, which is in the southern Indonesian region of Borneo, is home to one of the most biologically diverse rainforests on earth, hosting many endangered species like the orang-utan.