Lab goes Green: Get your Lab Ready for the Future! | Biomol Blog | Resources

Written by Emily Locke

Sustainability has become a key aspect in many areas of our lives. The aim is to conserve resources, protect the environment and ensure a future worth living for generations to come. As part of this green revolution, more and more companies are switching their production to more environmentally friendly processes. But how is the life science community doing when it comes to sustainability? Well, unfortunately (so far) not so great.

In fact, the biotech and pharmaceutical sector is one of the most carbon-intensive industries in the world [1]. The problem: labs and their supply chains. Laboratories consume four times the amount of water and 10 times more energy than a typical office [2]. Even a single freezer that cools samples to -80 °C requires as much energy per year as a family house [3]. In addition to the increased energy requirements, laboratories also produce enormous amounts of hazardous waste and plastic. A 2015 study estimates that academic research laboratories produce two percent of global plastic waste – and when testing and clinical labs are factored in, the scope of the problem becomes catastrophic [4].

So, it is clear: In terms of sustainability, there is an urgent need to catch up in research and development. How can you make your contribution and make your work in the lab more environmentally friendly? We give you a range of tips and tricks on the subject of sustainability in the laboratory. Be inspired, consciously act more sustainably and make your lab greener!

These topics await you:

1) Switch on Energy-Saving Mode: How to Reduce Energy Consumption in the Lab

2) Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle – The Dogma of Waste Reduction

3) A Lab is Thirsty – Tips for Saving Water

4) Put a Label on it: Labels for Sustainable Lab Products

5) How your Lab Officially Becomes a Green Lab

6) Now it's Up to You!

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Switch on Energy-Saving Mode: How to Reduce Energy Consumption in the Lab

Labs consume huge amounts of energy for lighting, heating, cooling, and the operation of equipment, some of which runs continuously and is rarely switched off. Energy consumption can be significantly reduced by using energy-efficient lighting systems such as LEDs, thermal insulation and energy-saving equipment. When purchasing new equipment and lab technology, the focus should therefore be on energy efficiency. Even basic measures, such as switching off lights and appliances when they are not in use, have a significant impact on the environment [5].

Simply increasing the temperature from -80 °C to -70 °C in freezers can drastically reduce energy consumption and has the potential to save up to 40 % [6]. Several publications have already shown that a freezing temperature of -80 °C is generally not necessary and that storage at “higher” temperatures makes no difference for proteins or microorganisms [7]. Other major energy consumers in the lab are the fume hoods: One fume hood consumes as much energy as three houses! Depending on whether the sash is closed, half-closed, or open, 200, 400, or 600 m³ of air is exchanged per hour [8]. By closing the fume hoods regularly, the average air exchange rates can be significantly lowered and consumption can be reduced by a third [1].

Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle – The Dogma of Waste Reduction

The waste production of a lab and the associated impact on the environment is enormous: 5.5 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year! If just 2% of lab plastics were diverted from landfill, this would be equivalent to saving 100 million tons of CO₂ [9]. An efficient and sustainable waste concept according to the motto “Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle” is therefore a must in every laboratory! Sustainability starts with the many small lab items: for example, many consumables such as tubes and pipette tips made from fossil-based plastic can be replaced with corresponding products made from bio-based or recycled plastics. In addition, plastic waste can be reduced by reusing disposable items [3].

Did you know? Sustainability is very important to us at Biomol! That's why our logistics department uses environmentally friendly packaging materials: You receive your orders in plastic-free shipping bags made from grass paper, in boxes made from recycled polystyrene (rEPS) and our cooling pads are made of kraft paper with 100% degradable plant-based cooling gel, which you can dispose of down the drain if necessary.

Liquid chemical waste in labs is another major problem. This is where the trend towards miniaturization pays off: carry out your analysis in miniature devices and process samples in the microliter range or below. Economical use means fewer reagents are consumed and waste is reduced [3]. You should also check whether substances that are harmful to the environment or health can be replaced with safer chemicals (e.g. our QuickBlue Protein Stain from LubioScience or the Gelite™ Safe dyes from AAT Bioquest). Switching from toxic substances to more environmentally friendly alternatives contributes to the preservation of ecosystems and reduces the risk to humans and animals [5].

A Lab is Thirsty – Tips for Saving Water

The fact that labs also consume an enormous amount of water may come as a surprise to some. However, 40% of the university's water bill is actually accounted for by laboratories [10]. Washing systems, autoclaves, deionized water and single-pass cooling systems all contribute to the significant water requirements of many labs. For example, an autoclave can consume up to 230 liters of water per cycle [9]! Appropriate strategies for the economical use of water must therefore be considered in a green lab.

It is important to choose the right type, size, energy and water efficiency of autoclaves. Also, you should not run an autoclave to sterilize a single box of pipette tips. Another problem is single-pass cooling, where water is used for one-time cooling. Eliminating this wasteful system from your workflows and switching to more sustainable alternatives, such as recirculating water baths, can save hundreds of thousands of liters of water every year. Here's another helpful tip: install aerators on the taps in your lab. A typical faucet has a flow rate of up to 20 liters per minute. With an aerator, the flow rate can be reduced to less than 5 liters per minute. This can easily save 300,000 to 900,000 liters of water per year [9]!

Put a Label on it: Labels for Sustainable Lab Products

The green revolution is not just happening in labs – companies that support labs are also developing and packaging their products with sustainability in mind. The opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of laboratories through smarter purchasing are enormous. When looking for more sustainable products for your lab, a number of different labels can help, including the Energy Star and ACT labels. The Energy Star label is an energy consumption label established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to identify appliances that meet certain power-saving criteria [2]. For example, an appliance or component that is switched on must switch off after a certain period of time [11].

The ACT label is a label that compares lab products based on the environmental impact of their production, daily use, and disposal. ACT stands for Accountability, Consistency and Transparency [9]. The label was developed by the non-profit organization My Green Lab and was the first sustainability label for laboratory products. Similar to the Nutri-Score for food, it shows how the product performs in various sustainability categories (including production, energy and water consumption, packaging and innovation), with a score of 1 indicating the lowest environmental impact and a score of 10 the highest [12].

How your Lab Officially Becomes a Green Lab

Are you ready to take the next step towards becoming a Green Lab? Then you should consider the My Green Lab certification. This certification is officially recognized by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign as an important measure of progress towards a zero-carbon future and is considered the gold standard for laboratory sustainability best practices worldwide. My Green Lab has already supported over 2,000 labs on the path to sustainable change. The program covers 14 different areas, including energy, water, waste, chemicals/materials, and animal testing.

There are five levels of certification: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Green. Which certification level the laboratory receives depends on the score in the certification assessment. Both the percentage of possible best practices for green labs adopted and the extent to which they have been adopted by the lab are considered [9]. Do you want to take the first step towards a Green Lab? Then read our ‘Green Lab Tips’ and discover 10 simple tricks to boost sustainability in your lab!

Download Green Lab Tips

Now it's Up to You!

In many labs, there is a widespread misconception that practicing sustainability would impair the scientific process or compromise results. On the contrary, many of the recommendations not only save resources, but also improve the efficiency of research itself [1]! In addition, a sustainable way of working in the lab can lead to economic benefits, as fewer resources are needed and waste disposal costs can be reduced [5].

Science and sustainability should not be in opposition. But for many laboratories, there is still a long way to go to become a green lab. That's why your and our commitment to sustainable science is needed: talk to colleagues about the topic, initiate meaningful changes, and make your lab ready for the future!