About our green plan

Why do we need a green plan?  

The NHS is responsible for approximately 4% of England’s total carbon emissions. In response, it has launched an ambitious campaign to achieve net-zero emissions, aiming for: 

• 2040 for emissions it controls directly (Scopes 1 and 2), and
• 2045 for indirect emissions (Scope 3), with interim ambitions for an 80% reduction by 2028–2032.

This green plan sets out Moorfields’ strategic response, aligning with NHS-wide goals while championing sustainable eye care. We have reviewed:

• Where we work – our facilities and infrastructure. 
• How we work – our operational and clinical practices. 
• Who we help – our diverse patient population.

Our aim is to embed sustainability at every level, not only meeting national expectations but also pursuing leadership in sustainable ophthalmology by working collaboratively across the NHS and beyond.

Climate change is already impacting health through increased air pollution, rising temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events. NHS England data shows:

• Up to 38,000 deaths annually are linked to air pollution, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups and deepening health inequalities.
• The economic cost of climate-related mortality is projected to rise from £6.8 billion/year in the 2020s to £14.7 billion/year by the 2050s. 

Climate action offers direct benefits:

• Improved public health outcomes.
• Reduced strain on NHS resources. 
• Enhanced equity for the most deprived communities. 
• Support for the UK’s vision of a clean energy future

Through the implementation of this green plan, Moorfields takes responsibility for its role as a global healthcare leader – delivering not only pioneering eye care – but also responsible, sustainable, resilient systems that protect our environment and people.   

The refresh of Moorfields’ green plan has been driven by meaningful engagement with staff and partners across the system. We have shifted away from reliance on external sustainability support, investing instead in internal expertise and leadership to deliver a robust and inclusive strategy.

Staff involvement has been central to this process. Through our recently established staff sustainability champion network, MoorGreen, we are providing space for all our staff to share ideas for a greener future. In early 2025, we held a number of interactive workshops and will continue to support cross-departmental, grassroots innovation across departments and services.

In parallel, our sustainability steering group has steered the development of our green plan via designated leads, with regular updates to track progress. Contributions from our green theatres working group has also informed planning – highlighting frontline opportunities to embed sustainable practices.

We have carefully considered equality and legal duties, ensuring voices across the trust are heard – including clinical, non-clinical, and operational input. 

Our sustainability journey has been shaped by wide-ranging collaboration, both within our system and beyond. Moorfields actively participates in the ICB green partnership group, the North Central London ICS oversight meetings, and the NCL travel & transport working group. These platforms help facilitate the exchange ideas, align on shared goals, and standardise best practice.

We’ve connected with peer trusts – including University College Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare, West London NHS Trust, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Barts Health, and University Hospitals Sussex– to share learning and strengthen our regional sustainability network. Engagement with organisations such as GHASP and Greener by Default has informed approaches to greener operations and procurement.  

Our key strategic partners bring important sustainability commitments. For example:

• Alcon, our main supplier of medical equipment, aims to achieve carbon neutrality and zero landfill waste at its global sites by 2030.
• Bywaters, our recycling partner, reuses, recycles, or recovers all the waste they collect from us – meaning none of it it sent directly to landfill.
• Medirest, our soft services partner, mitigates food wastage via its micro steam cooking solution, which has been in operation at Moorfields since 2023. 
• DHL, our courier service, which aims to hit emissions targets set in line with the Paris Agreement by 2030.  
• Servita, our digital strategy partner, won the ‘Moving Towards Net Zero’ through Digital HSJ Digital Award in 2025.

We also focus efforts locally, including membership in the Islington Sustainability Network, and have participated in Islington resilience forums to further strengthening our focus on emergency preparedness and climate risk. We will join Camden Climate Alliance when we move to our new site at King’s Cross and participate in Camden resilience forums.

To foster transparency and empower staff-led collaboration, we have also introduced an open-access green networking log—giving individuals the freedom to document external sustainability engagement and share valuable insights across teams, projects, and partnerships. 

Moorfields’ governance structure has evolved significantly since our last green plan. Sustainability delivery is now coordinated through an established sustainability steering group, which has been reporting into our sustain and scale board, ensuring strategic oversight at senior levels.

We have a designated senior sustainability lead in operations, supported by a cross-functional network of directors and area of focus leads who contribute to the development and implementation of green plan priorities.

We are committed to providing an annual summary of green plan progress to the board and will also be reporting this publicly in our annual report. These updates on progress will include:

• A narrative summary of key milestones, actions and achievements. 
• The identification of delivery risks and challenges.
• Quantitative data reflecting progress against carbon and sustainability targets.

Through structured governance, strong leadership, and a culture of collaboration, Moorfields is well-positioned to deliver a credible, resilient, and innovative response to the climate emergency – while maintaining our position as a world-leading provider of ophthalmic care. 

In 2027, Moorfields will open its new home for advancing eye health: a purpose-built centre in Camden, delivered in partnership with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity. This transformative move from City Road marks a pivotal moment in our history – bringing together clinical care, research, and education under one roof to accelerate breakthroughs in patient treatment and experience.   

The new centre will foster seamless collaboration between clinicians and researchers, creating opportunities for earlier patient involvement in clinical trials and expediting the delivery of cutting-edge therapies. With inclusive design at its core, the centre aspires to be a national exemplar for accessibility, carefully tailored to meet the diverse needs of our patient population. 

From a sustainability perspective, the centre represents a bold step forward. The development has been shaped around net-zero readiness, incorporating the latest energy-efficient technologies and building standards. The centre will help Moorfields meet the NHS climate commitments while elevating our environmental performance across estates and operations. 

Over the next two years, our focus is on adapting working practices to ensure a smooth transition, embedding sustainable behaviours and systems that will continue seamlessly at the new centre. This phase presents a unique opportunity to align every aspect of our delivery with sustainability principles – and many of the initiatives outlined in this green plan have been designed with that goal in mind.