St George’s is now only the second NHS Trust, and largest healthcare provider in the UK, to achieve accreditation with The Planet Mark™.

The Planet Mark™ is an internationally-recognised and trusted sustainability certification programme, which acknowledges commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability.

Certification is renewed on an annual basis to organisations that achieve a minimum 2.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

On average, Planet Mark-certified organisations make a 5% carbon saving each year through improvements to energy use, waste, water, travel and procurement.

As part of our long-term sustainability strategy, we are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint and enhancing resource efficiency in order to become a national leader in the delivery of sustainable healthcare services.

Our commitment is detailed in our emerging Sustainable Development Management Plan, which identifies how we will achieve our carbon reduction targets, leading up to an 80% reduction by 2050 (against a 1990 baseline), as required by the Climate Change Act 2008.

The Planet Mark™ will support us to measure, engage and communicate our success.

Through rigorous carbon footprint measurement and reporting, The Planet Mark™ provides assurance that an organisation is meaningfully addressing its corporate sustainability impacts and developing the delivery of low-carbon services.