ABU DHABI, 18th September, 2026 (WAM) — The Reference And Surveillance Intelignece Department (RASID), part of the Central Testing Laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC) and operated in partnership with M42, has achieved the My Green Lab® Gold Certification.
The certification recognises RASID as an advanced laboratory that combines scientific excellence, sustainability, operational efficiency, and technical innovation.
With this result, RASID becomes the first operational government laboratory specialising in wastewater monitoring and environmental surveillance to earn the certification at the Gold level. It reflects the laboratory’s commitment to applying leading global practices in sustainable laboratory operations, resource efficiency, and the reduction of environmental impact and carbon emissions.
The My Green Lab® certification is among the foremost international programmes for laboratory sustainability. It assesses a full set of practices covering energy, water, and resource efficiency, waste management, sustainable procurement, and the building of an environmental culture in the laboratory workplace.
The certification carries growing weight amid the global shift toward lower emissions and greater efficiency in scientific and research operations. It aligns with international efforts supporting the transition to climate neutrality and with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Nationally, the achievement supports the UAE’s direction toward climate neutrality, stronger resource efficiency, and more sustainable models of government operation, and it shows that scientific and technical progress can go hand in hand with environmental responsibility without compromising the quality and efficiency of laboratory services.
Engineer Abdulla Hassan Al Muaini, Executive Director of the Central Testing Laboratory at the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, said, “RASID’s My Green Lab® Gold Certification reflects the Council’s approach to building a government quality system that goes beyond technical competence to include sustainability, innovation, and long-term impact. We see advanced laboratories as strategic infrastructure that protects the community and supports Abu Dhabi’s competitiveness. Embedding sustainability in their operations strengthens our ability to deliver lasting value for government, society, and the economy, and helps translate the UAE’s climate-neutrality goals into tangible operational practice.”
Dr. Fahed Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Health Solutions platform at M42, said, “RASID’s My Green Lab® Gold Certification is an important milestone and a strong example of how scientific excellence, technology and sustainability can come together to create meaningful impact. Through our partnership with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, we are building a more advanced approach to monitoring and analysis, harnessing automation, digital capabilities and artificial intelligence to translate data into actionable insights that strengthen public health, preparedness and proactive risk management. This recognition reflects our shared commitment to advancing smarter, more efficient and sustainable laboratory infrastructure, while supporting Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s wider ambitions in health, innovation and sustainability.”
Ahmed Muadhad Al Muhairi, General Manager of Environmental Sciences at M42, noted that sustainability at RASID is a core part of how the operation was designed rather than a separate initiative attached to it. It was built into a laboratory environment based on advanced scientific analysis, automation, and artificial intelligence. Reaching the Gold level adds a new international benchmark that improves operational efficiency and the optimal use of resources, and supports RASID’s development as an advanced model for the laboratories of the future, able to deliver high scientific and technical performance within a more sustainable system.
He added that the achievement reflects the maturity of RASID’s operating system and its ability to combine quality of output, speed of response, resource efficiency, and reduced environmental impact within one integrated model, with the aim of continuing to develop the model in ways that strengthen scalability and sustainability and deliver ongoing value for partners and the community.
Samara Bin Salem, Director of the Reference Monitoring and Analysis Department (RASID), said, “At RASID, we set out to embed sustainability within our development and operations strategy and to link our objectives to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, keeping a balance between scientific excellence, operational efficiency, and environmental responsibility. We also relied on advanced technologies, automation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence to raise operational efficiency, improve resource use, cut waste and environmental impact, and strengthen the speed and accuracy of analysis and proactive risk monitoring.
Reaching the Gold level is an important step toward an integrated model for government laboratories that combines technical competence, sustainability, and innovation, supporting Abu Dhabi’s readiness to address health and environmental challenges and to make decisions based on reliable scientific data.”
The achievement is significant given the nature of the RASID system, an advanced model for reference government laboratories. It brings together sophisticated analytical capabilities, high levels of automation, digital platforms, and the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence to support monitoring, analysis, and decision-making.
RASID is an Integrated Reference And Surveillance Intelignece Department system that supports the early detection of health and environmental risks through advanced testing, wastewater monitoring, health and environmental surveillance, and the analysis of data and indicators, helping the relevant authorities assess risks and take appropriate action.
RASID is accredited to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), reflecting its commitment to the highest international requirements for technical competence and for the quality and reliability of test results.
Source: Emirates News Agency