Laboratories have a significant impact on carbon emissions due to their infrastructure, and the consumption of electricity, water, gas, as well as the generation of waste. It is essential, during both the design phase and the procurement of instrumentation and reagents, to consider the ecological impact. Moreover, it is crucial that laboratories and professional and scientific societies establish collaborations with the in vitro diagnostics industry to promote solutions that enable laboratory testing to be performed in an environmentally sustainable manner, in accordance with the most recent guidelines, such as those of the EFLM (European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine). In this context, POCT (Point-of-Care Tests) should be strategically used only when they significantly influence immediate treatment decisions with a clear advantage over traditional laboratory tests, as they may at times be less accurate and carry a higher environmental impact. Given the environmental impact of laboratory examinations, the test menu offered by a laboratory should be chosen on the basis of scientific evidence of effectiveness, in collaboration with the reference clinicians and within diagnostic–therapeutic pathways.

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