[INFORMATIVE] How Biomedical Research Labs Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

How Biomedical Research Labs Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint

By Lane Allert

Labs carrying out biomedical research are essential for the discovery of new medical treatments, understanding diseases, and overall improving public health. However, these labs often have a large carbon footprint, caused by a vast number of factors, whether that be from energy usage or waste that is produced. A large carbon footprint has very detrimental effects on the environment, therefore, many labs have started to focus on how they can reduce their carbon footprint and therefore be more sustainable.

One way biomedical research labs can reduce their carbon footprint is by focusing on making lab equipment more eco-friendly. In particular, fume hoods, air conditioning, and freezers are the main culprits in terms of energy consumption in labs, but luckily, there are numerous ways this can be mitigated. One way is through purchasing more energy-efficient apparatus, which may include insulation, machines that automatically turn off when not in use, or using LEDs. Though this may be more expensive, in the long term it will reduce the amount of emissions as well as reduce energy consumption. One way labs can find more energy-efficient equipment is through the help of the program and lab certification— the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) and also by researching companies that exclusively sell more sustainable equipment.

In addition to more energy-efficient equipment, research labs can reduce their carbon footprint by using less plastics. According to the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, biomedical research labs use 5.5 million tonnes of plastics annually. Therefore, it is very essential that more labs implement more eco-friendly practices to reduce this number. One major way this can be achieved is through using more glassware. This is a very convenient way for labs to massively reduce their carbon footprint, as instead of using disposable test tubes and beakers, labs can reuse this equipment by washing them. However, there are some considerable disadvantages to using only glassware products. For one thing, the production of glassware requires more energy than plastics and can be much more expensive, sometimes too much for labs to afford. One potential solution to this is replacing single-use plastic equipment with glassware as much as labs can, but also through washing or autoclaving any plastic equipment, even if it is sold as ‘single-use’.

With this, labs can also reduce their carbon footprint by reducing their waste. As mentioned before, using less single waste plastic when available and cost-efficient is one key way this can be done. In addition to this, it can be beneficial for labs to first check if other labs have available excess equipment before buying more, therefore reducing carbon emissions from production, packaging, and transport. Another way that labs can reduce waste is through recycling any materials possible, whether that be packaging or glassware, as well as ensuring products such as plastics are decontaminated to allow for recycling.

As briefly mentioned before, the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) was started by UCL in London and has seen a lot of success. This program provides plans and resources to enable labs to first find the impact of their carbon footprint and then discover new attainable ways to reduce it, including the many ways mentioned previously as well as enabling labs to gain certifications for their labs. According to the UCL website, when this program first started with 23 research labs across the UK, the LEAF program was able to save a total of around £641,000 and stop 648 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Since then, LEAF is now used in 15 countries, all striving for more sustainability in their labs, and this program will no doubt continue to be used by even more labs across the world.

In conclusion, there are many different ways that biomedical research labs can reduce their carbon footprint. More eco-friendly equipment, less plastic usage, recycling, and more conscious purchases are just some of the ways that labs can drastically reduce their impact on the environment. Labs can play a pivotal part in leading by example to other companies and industries, therefore paving the path to a more sustainable future.


Sources Cited
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Henderson, A., & Henderson, A. (2024, July 4). Energy efficient laboratory equipment: Environmental sustainability in the laboratory. Henderson Biomedical. https://henderson-biomedical.co.uk/blog/energy-efficient-laboratory-equipment/ Accessed 5 September 2024.

Howes, L. (2020, August 25). Reducing plastic use in the lab. Chemical & Engineering News. https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/laboratories-move-away-single-use/97/i43 Accessed 9 September 2024.

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Velasquez-Pimentel, S. (2023, October 2). Top tips to reduce your lab waste. LMS Laboratory of Medical Sciences. https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/top-tips-to-make-your-lab-more-sustainable/ Accessed 9 September 2024.