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The Blood Science Laboratory at Stepping Hill Hospital has achieved My Green Lab Gold certification, recognising efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its day-to-day operations.
Part of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s pathology department, the laboratory supports clinical testing while managing the resource demands common to blood science services. Biochemistry and haematology workflows depend on equipment that may run for long periods and generate substantial volumes of single-use plastic. Addressing these pressures without disrupting patient care requires practical changes that teams can sustain over time.
The Gold certification, awarded in October 2026, follows work to embed sustainability into daily laboratory routines. Staff focused on energy use and waste reduction, bringing environmental considerations into the way the service operates rather than treating them as a separate project.
My Green Lab provides a framework for laboratories to assess their practices and identify opportunities to use resources more responsibly. For a clinical laboratory, that process also needs to sit alongside established requirements for quality, safety and reliable turnaround times. The Stockport team’s achievement offers an example of how sustainability work can be incorporated into a service where those requirements remain paramount.
The certification supports Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s wider Green Plan, which sets out its approach to reducing environmental impact and progressing towards net-zero goals. Siemens Healthineers and regional partners supported the laboratory through the certification process.
The story is relevant well beyond Stockport. Laboratory managers across healthcare face similar questions about how to manage energy-intensive instruments, reduce avoidable waste and engage busy teams in making improvements. Structured assessments can help identify opportunities, but lasting progress depends on staff understanding what can change safely within their own workflows.
It is important not to assume that every single-use item can be removed or that energy-saving measures will suit every instrument. Clinical testing involves strict requirements for infection control, sample integrity and equipment performance. The most useful sustainability measures are those evaluated against these needs and adopted where they can be maintained consistently.
Stockport’s Gold certification recognises the collective work of its laboratory team and partners. It also shows how everyday operational decisions can contribute to wider healthcare sustainability goals while keeping the focus on dependable diagnostic services for patients.
