Greener beginnings: Exploring the carbon footprints of midwifery group practice and standard maternity care in regional Australia

Background Climate change is an escalating concern for maternal and newborn health. Maternity care, particularly through high-intervention, hospital-based practices, generates substantial environmental waste. Midwifery Continuity of Care (MCC) models are known to reduce unnecessary interventions and improve safety and satisfaction of care, whilst suggesting potential reduction in environmental impacts. However, limited evidence exists evaluating the carbon footprint of MCC compared with standard medically led care. Aim To evaluate whether a Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) model generates lower carbon emissions than medically led standard maternity care in an Australian regional setting. Methods A quantitative retrospective analysis was conducted using de-identified routinely collected clinical data from 2024 to 2025 at one regional maternity service. Carbon footprint estimates (kgCO₂e) using validated calculations from Spil et al. (2024), were applied to key clinical outcomes; including mode of birth, analgesia use, suturing, and postnatal length of stay. The kgCO₂e for women receiving MGP were compared with those receiving standard care. Findings Data from 210 MGP and 129 standard care participants showed consistently lower emissions in the MGP cohort. The mean estimated emissions per episode of care were lower in the MGP cohort compared with the standard care cohort (52.87 kgCO₂e vs 99.51 kgCO₂e), representing approximately half the carbon footprint. Conclusion Episodes of care in the MGP cohort were associated with substantially lower estimated carbon emissions than those in the standard-care cohort within this regional maternity services. These findings suggest MGP as an effective low-carbon maternity care strategy aligned with national sustainability and net-zero targets.