Formalin is the international gold-standard fixative in pathology laboratories. However it is not the ideal one considering its deleterious effects on individuals and the environment. Complete formalin removal or even substitution does not seem possible in the near future. In this update, we present various tools allowing to integrate the use of formalin into an ecocare approach. Among them, formalin recycling according to the protocol developed by the University Hospital of Bordeaux is simple to implement and delivers rapid and significant results, allowing pathology professionals to meet the sustainable development objectives included in the France 2030 agenda.

The initial nursing training framework offers the opportunity to build a teaching program that will lay the foundations of an eco-citizen care giving practice. With evolving content, and in light of climatic contingencies and the need to adapt to emerging pathologies, these courses must make sustainable development, associated with hygiene and safety, a new professional imperative in the care giving system.