Take action for sustainability in your lab

It's the responsibility of everyone in our research community to operate their labs as sustainably as possible.

Labs are vital spaces that enable us to deliver research and innovation activities, but they are also energy- and resource-intense areas. For example:

labs use around 3 to 10 times more energy per square metre compared to an equivalent typical office space
research is responsible for around 2% of all global plastic waste
at Bath, labs are responsible for around a third of our energy use
roughly half of our total carbon footprint at Bath comes from things that we buy, and lab activities are responsible for around a third of this

It's important to take action to reduce the environmental impact of your lab activities, in line with our University commitment and requirements from funders. Actions taken can provide a range of benefits while focusing on maintaining research quality. However, you should never compromise health and safety through any actions you take for sustainability.

Lab sustainability certification

Using an existing lab sustainability framework can help all lab users become involved in taking action and have their efforts and achievements recognised.

Wet labs

The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), used by labs globally, is a proven standard for sustainable laboratory operations. It's designed for use in wet labs but can be used by a range of lab types.

To get started:

Dry and computational labs

While LEAF can be used by a range of lab types, it sometimes isn't the most suitable tool for dry labs. You should first access LEAF and view the criteria.

If there are more than five criteria at Bronze and Silver level or four at Gold level that aren't applicable for your lab, then you should take action through our Green Impact programme instead.

If you're unsure, please contact leaf@bath.ac.uk to discuss.

Training and support

At Bath, you're part of a community committed to transformational change to tackle sustainability challenges, and support is available through our research community to help you take sustainability action in labs.

Attend an Introduction to Lab Sustainability & LEAF course to uncover some of the opportunities to embed sustainability in lab practices and processes. This course is suitable for all lab users to learn about sustainable lab practices and how you can take action through LEAF.

Join the LEAF network on Microsoft Teams, where you can share best practice and discuss common challenges with other lab users.

Purchasing responsibly in labs

The goods and services we buy for our labs come with an environmental cost, so this is an area where all lab users can make an impact.

The four most impactful actions you can take are:

buy less
maximise the use of consumables, resources, and equipment
purchase responsibly with sustainability prioritised where possible
consider the full life of equipment and resources before purchasing

Save energy and water

On average, the University spends £13 million per year on gas, electricity, and water. This has more than doubled since 2022. Any savings that we can collectively make to reduce this bill will enable the University to put this money to better use.

In labs, the most energy-hungry equipment tends to be anything that requires extreme temperatures (hot or cold) and ventilation. Find out how to take action relating to:

cold storage (including fridges and freezers)
ventilation (including fume cupboards and biological safety cabinets)
other equipment (including drying ovens and drying cabinets, incubators, and water baths)

Find out more about how you can save energy in labs

Lab consumables

Responsible use

It's important to:

Waste and recycling

The three most impactful actions that you can take are:

Learn more about waste and recycling in your lab

Contact us

If you have any questions, please get in touch.