Kai Chen Goh, Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan, Christia Meidiana, Odiljon Abdurakhmonov, Abdelkader Anouzla, Wong Hin Yong, Mohammad Tariqul Islam, Axel Olaf Kern, Faissal Aziz, Choo Wou Onn, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman, Dongdong Zhang, Wei Dai, Muhamad Asif Iqbal, Muhammad Amjad, Kasim Sakran Abass
Hospital waste management (HWM) is critical to advancing environmental sustainability, particularly as Germany and the European Union (EU) pursue carbon neutrality by 2050. This review examines the potential of Industry 5.0 technologies to transform waste management through intelligent, human-centric systems. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, including a comprehensive literature review, site visits to five German hospitals and interviews with 20 key stakeholders such as hospital staff, policymakers and waste service providers. Germany generates an estimated 210,000 tonnes of hospital waste annually, with 25–30% classified as hazardous. However, only 17% is currently recycled or recovered. The integration of Industry 5.0 tools – Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven sorting, robotics and Internet of Things-enabled tracking – combined with staff training and participatory design, can improve segregation accuracy by 40%, reduce landfill reliance by 35% and cut waste-related carbon emissions by 22% within 10 years. Pilot technologies such as plasma gasification and autoclaving have further reduced CO2 emissions by 28% compared to traditional incineration. Beyond technical innovation, the study emphasizes the importance of worker involvement, ethical AI and feedback systems in fostering responsible waste practices. It also identifies policy enablers like the EU Green Deal and Germany’s Hospital Future Act, which support the digital and sustainable transformation of healthcare. The findings highlight the need for a collaborative ecosystem connecting healthcare professionals, technologists and regulators. Such synergy is essential to achieving a circular, low-carbon and socially inclusive HWM system aligned with Industry 5.0 values and climate goals. © The Author(s) 2025
Faculty of Technology Management, and Business, Department of Construction Management, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja, Malaysia; College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Fujian, Xiamen, China; Faculty of Engineering, Department of Regional and Urban Planning, Brawijaya University, Malang, Indonesia; Tashkent Institute of Chemical Technology, Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Laboratory of Process Engineering and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Hassan II University, Mohammedia, Morocco; Faculty of Artificial Intelligence and Engineering, Multimedia University, Selangor, Cyberjaya, Malaysia; Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Bangi, Malaysia; Faculty of Social Work, Health and Nursing, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences, Weingarten, Germany; Laboratory of Water Sciences, Microbial Technologies and Natural Resources Sustainability, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco; Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia; Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia; School of Renewable Energy, Inner Mongolia University of Technology, Inner Mongolia, China; School of Electrical Engineering, Guangxi University, Guangxi, Nanning, China; Department of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan; School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China; University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq
