Design HOPES: From hope to health

Explore how healthcare can take positive steps towards a healthier planet

As the climate emergency increasingly puts pressure on healthcare systems, Design HOPES recognises that environmental and human health are deeply connected. Through a range of design-led research projects, the initiative looks at how both small scale actions and wider shifts can help the NHS reduce its environmental impact while improving care for all.

From designing reusable scrubs, to helping staff and patients make everyday choices that add up to big impacts, the work is rooted in real places and real people. It asks simple but powerful questions like how waste is created, who gets to make decisions, and what tools can help make real change happen.

This is a collaborative project that is led by five Scottish universities and supported by NHS Scotland, the third sector, and design organisations. It supports the urgent Net Zero goals by rethinking how things are made, used, and reused across the health service.