Towards More Sustainable Labs

Lab sustainability is of utmost importance in the modern scientific landscape. As research and development activities expand, so do their environmental impacts. Sustainable practices in laboratories help mitigate these effects by minimizing resource consumption, reducing waste generation, and promoting responsible chemical management. In addition, these practices help to reduce costs and enhance lab efficiency. In a recent survey, 500 labs in different analytical industries shared how they are striving to shrink their environmental impact:1 Labs' environmental footprint but times are changing... Instrument and service providers can help Who drives sustainability in the lab? Communication is the key Benefits for everyone Labs consume several times more electricity per square foot than any other sector, due to the use of energy-intensive equipment and around-theclock operations.2 They consume high amounts of water for autoclaves, cooling systems and the production of deionized water. In addition, labs produce huge amounts of chemical and plastic waste, leaving a considerable environmental footprint.3,4,5 There are ways to reduce this footprint without impacting on the quality of research. The survey shows that labs are already taking steps to become more sustainable. The results of the survey also show that there is an opportunity for vendors to support labs in their sustainability goals. Data from all surveyed labs shows that: Therefore, there are several extra values vendors can bring to the lab: Different industries consider different priorities when choosing an instrument vendor. 75-80% of labs in all industries reported that the Lab Director or Head of Sustainability was responsible for the lab’s environmental efforts. Therefore, the personal goals and values of these stakeholders must align with the organizational goals. In Life Science and Forensics labs, R&D departments also play a large part in sustainability programs. Laboratories value the information they receive from vendors to help influence internal sustainability programs and make product choices. Information is received through a variety of channels, but face-toface makes the biggest impact across all industries. The survey also reveals that labs are conscious of the benefits of sustainability. Their top reasons for being positive about sustainability are that it: Instruments and systems supporting tracking and monitoring of sustainability metrics Consulting services to assess/improve lab efficiency Compact instruments that use less bench space Recycling/ refurbishing services Leading critical success factor Industry Internal organizational guidelines, protocols, campaigns and initiatives Educating staff via internal sustainability training programs Routine evaluation and monitoring Top priority Industry Instruments with lower resource consumption Cutting-edge tech to monitor resource consumption 65% ensures safety from a health, nature, and environmental perspective 67% improves lab efficiency 51% reduces carbon footprint 1. The lab sustainability survey was commissioned by Agilent and conducted by Frost & Sullivan. The survey included 500 online survey interviews conducted with managers in analytical laboratories in China, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. 2. Hafer M. Quantity and electricity consumption of plug load equipment on a university campus. Energy Efficiency. 2017;10:1013–1039. doi: 10.1007/s12053-016-9503-2. 3. Winter N, Marchand R, Lehmann C, et al. The paradox of the life sciences: How to address climate change in the lab: EMBO Rep. 2023;24(3):e56683. doi: 10.15252/embr.202256683. 4. Mariette J, Blanchard O, Berné O, et al. An open-source tool to assess the carbon footprint of research. Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain. 2022;2:035008. doi: 10.1088/2634-4505/ ac84a4 5. The carbon impact of biotech & biopharma. Report 2022. My Green Lab. https://www.mygreenlab.org/2022-carbon-impact-of-biotech--pharma-report.html. Published: November 2022. Accessed: October 2023