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World Health Day 2025: hopeful futures through greener maternity care

Every year on 7 April, World Health Day marks a global moment to reflect on the health challenges facing our world and to take collective action. In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) has chosen maternal and newborn health as the central theme under the powerful banner: “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures.”

This year’s campaign is a rallying cry to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths and to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of women and babies everywhere. It calls for renewed investment, better access to high-quality care, and stronger support systems, especially in underserved and fragile settings. With maternal health outcomes stalling in many countries, the urgency could not be clearer.

At the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, we couldn’t agree more.

A greener future for mothers and babies

In alignment with WHO’s vision, we recently concluded the Green Maternity Challenge 2024, a 16-week innovation sprint that brought together NHS teams to tackle the urgent intersection of maternity care, health inequalities, and climate change. Our challenge wasn’t just about reducing carbon, it was about reimagining maternity care to be more sustainable, more person-centred, and more equitable.

And the outcomes have been extraordinary.

Nine passionate NHS teams, guided by Sustainable Quality Improvement (SusQI) methodology, developed and implemented forward-thinking projects that delivered real-world impact, not only for carbon savings, but for patients, families, and staff.

“In less than half the time of a full pregnancy, the Green Maternity Challenge teams have made incredible progress: improving care through dedication, creativity and resilience alongside their day-to-day clinical work.”

Rachel McLean, SusQI Programme Lead for Competition and Specialties, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare

Global problems, local solutions

WHO’s campaign highlights a crucial truth: maternal health is improving, but not fast enough and not equally for all. While maternal deaths have fallen globally, from 443,000 in 2000 to 260,000 in 2023, women in underserved areas still face disproportionate risks.

At the same time, maternity service coverage is rising, with increases in antenatal, skilled birth, and postnatal care. But coverage isn’t the same as quality, and that’s where the Green Maternity Challenge teams are making a difference.

Their work responds directly to WHO’s concerns: access, equity, quality, and sustainability, showing how maternity teams can lead meaningful change, even in the face of resource pressures.

Addressing inequality, one change at a time

Across the Challenge, teams worked on key target areas identified for their potential to reduce emissions and health inequalities—while improving care experiences for those who need it most. These included improving continuity of care, reducing unnecessary travel, supporting informed choices, and addressing long-term conditions like pelvic health or feeding support.

Here’s how some of the standout projects have responded to WHO’s global priorities at a local level:

• Introduced a virtual ward for women with hyperemesis, enabling at-home care and reducing hospital visits, improving comfort and cutting emissions.
• Improved postnatal hypertension care by refining clinical guidelines and boosting staff confidence, enhancing outcomes and reducing hospital stays.
• Developed a local hip dysplasia screening service to reduce long-distance travel, addressing rural inequalities and easing family burdens.
• Enhanced care for multiple pregnancies with better scheduling, fewer tests, and virtual consultations, saving time and resources.
• Created a dedicated clinic for Albanian women with language support and culturally sensitive care to improve communication and outcomes.
• Streamlined antenatal referrals, shifting unnecessary face-to-face appointments to virtual, improving access and clinic flow.
• Promoted perineal massage education to prevent birth trauma and improve long-term pelvic health, reducing high-emission interventions.
• Combined midwifery and virtual obstetric care to minimise travel and testing duplication while improving continuity and trust.
• Strengthened breastfeeding support with daily sessions and introduced reusable bottles, improving consistency and reducing waste.

Together, these projects have achieved:

• Tangible improvements in patient care, choice, and experience
• estimated  £860,669 in annual cost and efficiency savings
• 101,263 kgCO2e emissions reduced
• and emissions equivalent to 778,978 disposable nappies prevented

More importantly, they gave women their lives back.

“Having IV fluids at home has meant I can participate in family life.”
“My husband is able to go to work, and my son has his mummy back.”

This is exactly the kind of care WHO advocates for: care that listens, responds, and supports women holistically.

The bigger picture: why it matters

Sustainable maternity care is not just about carbon, it’s about creating systems that are resilient, inclusive, and adaptable to the growing challenges facing women and babies today. Whether it’s mental health, non-communicable diseases, or access to family planning, modern maternity services must evolve to support the full scope of women’s health and wellbeing.

“The Green Maternity Challenge showed strong evidence of impact and has created a pathway that can be adapted to many other challenges facing women and girls around the world.”

Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)

WHO’s campaign reminds us that the health of mothers and babies is the foundation of healthy families and communities. The Green Maternity Challenge proves that we can build that foundation in a way that also supports a healthy planet.

Join the movement

As we mark World Health Day 2025, let’s take inspiration from the energy and creativity of the NHS teams who took part in the Green Maternity Challenge. Their work is a powerful example of what’s possible when we unite for healthier beginnings and hopeful futures.

Explore the WHO World Health Day 2025 campaign

This year’s World Health Day theme, Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, shines a spotlight on maternal and newborn health. The campaign calls for urgent action to reduce preventable deaths and improve care for women and babies worldwide. Explore WHO’s resources, stories, actions and events to learn how you can support healthier futures for all.

Join our Women’s Health Network

To stay informed on the latest case studies, research, and innovations in sustainable women’s health, join the Women’s Health Sustainability Network and connect with like-minded professionals.