# https://re-advance.com/science-and-sustianability/ > ReAdvance is the solution to sustainability in research laboratories. We educate, consult and guide on process optimization, green chemistry, recycling, how to reduce plastic waste, handling biohazardous waste and reducing energy consumption in a sustainable manner. ## Posts - [How To Drive Change Safely](https://re-advance.com/how-to-drive-change-safely/): First, we must understand that in our planning we want to leave the underlying scientific process of our experiments untouched. In other words, the goal is to drive change where it doesn’t affect our science. This is why sustainability-related change doesn’t mean significant investments of additional time, effort, or risk. The biggest reason we are afraid of change is that we prefer to keep things steady because we are already busy with everything else. Understanding Perceived Risk We rarely learn how to optimize, how to drive change, and sometimes we don’t even know why our protocols work. This makes change… - [Unraveling Sustainability Marketing Claims](https://re-advance.com/unraveling-sustainability-marketing-claims/): From the very beginning, I was one of the few who openly talked about misconduct. Ever since the start of my career in sustainability, I have worked with different companies. This is how I fund our activities, and of course, this is also how I gain access to information that nobody outside would normally see – information that I am then able to share with you. But we also know this is why many people deviate from their original path of boldly addressing shortcomings. Why? Because at some point, money becomes too important. Since this has not happened to me,… - [The Complete Freezer Guide](https://re-advance.com/the-complete-freezer-guide/): This guide will explain to you the impact of freezers, how you can make them greener and how to maintain them properly. Concise, applied and easy to understand. Let’s start with the fundamentals: the impact of fridges and freezers: To this day, there is not a single comprehensive life cycle analysis available for a -80°C ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer. The same goes for lab fridges. ​ ​Therefore, I went through the available data and, where necessary, translated findings from commercial fridges to our situation. Although tedious, the data was surprising: ​​Manufacturing Impact ​A typical household fridge weighs 60–150 kg and… - [What Is The Career Path For You?](https://re-advance.com/what-is-the-career-path-for-you/): Some clear-eyed orientations to choosing your next step after your degree. Academia can feel like the natural next step after your degree. It’s familiar, intellectually stimulating, and it’s what you’ve been trained for, right? But before you commit to a PhD, another postdoc, or start chasing the elusive tenure-track dream, here’s something worth considering: Staying in academia just because it’s convenient is not a good reason to stay. If you’re considering a long-term academic career, ask yourself honestly if you’re prepared for these realities: 1. It’s more about grit than genius Academia rewards persistence, not just brilliance. Long hours, weekend… - [Resource Overview](https://re-advance.com/resource-overview/): Below, you will find all resources mentioned in the talk including some additional information: Talk Related Resources Talk Recordinghttps://youtu.be/1OkfaGaSRMs Talk Slideshttp://re-advance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Integrating-Sustainability-in-Science-Safely-and-Efficiently-at-the-Leibniz-HKI.pdf Publications Reducing environmental impacts of marine biotoxin monitoring: A laboratory reporthttps://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000001 A case report: insights into reducing plastic waste in a microbiology laboratoryhttps://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/acmi/10.1099/acmi.0.000173 Reducing plastic waste in scientific protocols by 65% — practical steps for sustainable researchhttps://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/1873-3468.14909 Fume Hood Savings Havardhttps://sustainable.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FumeHoodWhitePaper-1.pdf University of California / UC Davis and UC Santa Barbarahttps://www.energy.gov/femp/articles/fume-hood-sash-stickers-increases-laboratory-safety-and-efficiency-minimal-cost Additional Resources Sustainability for Science & Data Quality A New Approach to Making Scientific Research More Efficient – Rethinking Sustainabilityhttps://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1873-3468.14736 Sustainability Guide Co-Authored by Merle Hammer Original Versionhttps://tu-dresden.de/tu-dresden/nachhaltigkeit/ressourcen/dateien/campus-und-betrieb/green-lab/GoGreenGuide.pdf?lang=de… - [Making HPLC More Sustainable](https://re-advance.com/making-hplc-more-sustainable/): There is a lot we can do to optimize our methods. Often, we are only aware of a fraction of the possibilities, as technical options are usually available only to those who have worked for several years with a specific instrument. However, there are several actions we can take that are simple in nature and will greatly benefit not only the environmental impact but also the time, money, and sample required. I want to give you an (almost) exhaustive list of opportunities I am aware of for optimizing your HPLC workflows. I created this list because there are plenty of… - [Cell Culture Opportunities For Sustainable Practice](https://re-advance.com/cell-culture-opportunities/): Cell culture and S2 work is always a hot topic. Since it involves culturing cells and infecting them, the question naturally arises: what can and cannot be done sustainably in these environments? The answer is – a lot. Even in S2 labs, significant amounts of plastic waste can be saved. I described one of my own workflows in detail in this publication (“Reducing plastic waste in scientific protocols by65% — practical steps for sustainable research”), but here are some key principles for routine work and those I have worked out with Jakob. First, many doubt whether waste separation is even… - [Making Science Sustainable A Case Study #2](https://re-advance.com/making-science-sustainable-a-case-study-2/): Jakob investigates how different Candida albicans strains cross an intestinal epithelial barrier grown in transwell inserts. The aim is to test whether the presence of a wild-type, strongly hyphae-forming strain increases the ability of a clinical isolate to translocate and cause damage. It’s a resource-intensive workflow, involving infection steps, barrier measurements, and potential downstream analyses. And this was the perfect example to show how experimental design can optimize both data acquisition and environmental footprints. In other words, this shows that if we optimize our workflows, we often become more sustainable at the same time. Let’s go through how this looks… - [Making Science Sustainable A Case Study #1](https://re-advance.com/making-science-sustainable-a-case-study-1/): I spent two days with Dr. Jana and Dr. Evelyn Molloy in in their lab, where most project evolve around Molecular Biology workflows to prepare samples to extract biomolecules for HPLC analysis. We walked the lab from one end to the other, following the natural flow of experiments – from preparing media to handling waste – looking for where they already save resources and where small tweaks could go further. What I noticed quite quickly was sustainability here wasn’t a “special project.” Many of these practices are embedded in the daily workflow. The trick is recognizing them, optimizing them, and… - [A List of Sustainable Practices](https://re-advance.com/a-list-of-sustainable-practices/): Reducing waste Reducing plastic waste within the laboratory can be achieved by: -> Cool Examples from my consulting: The idea of using a pipette tip to spread colonies was passed down from an Asian scientist to a postdoc, just as it was to me. Pro tip: it works best with a P200 tip – a P1000 is often too large. The same group reused their electroporation cuvettes up to 50 times – basically until the plastic turned yellow and brittle. Their washing procedure: 1× water (to prevent DNA precipitation) → 1× ethanol → 1× water → 2× desalted water →… - [Teaching Sustainability Effectively](https://re-advance.com/teaching-sustainability-effectively/): When teaching students or new colleagues about the sustainable practices standard in our labs or introducing opportunities for optimizations we have found, it is often effective to tie these tips to topics that are already valued. In this way, we avoid overwhelming the student or colleague with sustainability as yet another factor to keep in mind. Moreover, we can immediately outline how sustainable practices can save time, money, and improve data quality. Best Practices Teaching students best practices can often feel dry and tedious; however, they matter. Point out how these practices help them work more efficiently, faster, and, of… - [From Academia to Industry: What’s the Difference?](https://re-advance.com/academia-to-industry-whats-the-difference/): “Moving from academia to the industry involved a lot of unlearning,” said Debjani Saha, who joined Premas Life Sciences as a product manager after completing her PhD. But what exactly is there to unlearn?And more importantly—what does this shift mean for your daily work, your sense of purpose, and how you feel at the end of the day? If you’re debating whether to stay in academia or transition into industry, you’re probably weighing career prospects, pay, and types of positions. But before you consider those, you might want to understand the differences that will shape your everyday work life. So… - [The Sustainability of Tack-Back Programs](https://re-advance.com/the-sustainability-of-tack-back-programs/): Every sustainability enthusiast wants take-back programs to make sense. However, to truly assess the sustainability of take-back programs, we would need to know: Unfortunately, not a single company has openly shared a footprint or life cycle analysis, hence, we have to rely on assumptions and estimates. PS: A TL;DR Summary is to be found at the bottom of the page : ) Nevertheless, let’s look at some number to get a feel for the order of magnitude we’re talking about here: Overall Plastic Impact If we consider the entire life cycle of plastics that means from production to End-of-Life we… - [A Compilation of Take-Back Programs](https://re-advance.com/a-compilation-of-take-back-programs/): Here is a list of all take-back programs we know of for you. Please note that these will vary in price, how collection is set up and how re- or downcycling is organized. 🧴 PET Bottles (e.g., for culture media) PAN Biotech🔄 Accepts: Empty PET bottles from culture media and buffer solutions (must be from PAN)🌐 Recycling Portal 🧪 Tip Racks / Pipette Tip Boxes StarLab (TipOne Program)🔄 Accepts: Empty TipOne® pipette tip racks (only from StarLab, cleaned and free of tips)🌐 TipOne Recycling Polycarbin🔄 Accepts: Rinsed tip boxes, conical tubes, media bottles, and other rigid lab plastics🌐 Polycarbin Fisher… - [ACT®Ecolabel 2.0 Scoring System: An Overview & Discussion](https://re-advance.com/act-ecolabel-2-0-scoring-system/): The ACT® (Accountability, Consistency, Transparency) Ecolabel evaluates the environmental impact of lab products across five major categories. With the new ACT Ecolabel 2.0, My Green Lab® provides a 100-point based Environmental Performance Factor (EPF). Here, we will provide you with a short explanation of what is assessed and discuss some nuances that you should know about: Category Overview: 🔍 1. Audit of the Product Content: Use Phase: Lifetime: 📦 2. Audit of the Packaging Evaluation Criteria: 🏭 3. Audit of the Manufacturing Facility Evaluation Criteria: 🌍 4. Company GHG Reductions Evaluation Criteria: 🧮 5. Product Carbon Reporting Evaluation Criteria: ♻️… - [Reducing the Impact of AI](https://re-advance.com/reducing-the-impact-of-ai/): Personal Note from the Editor, Patrick: Hi there, beautiful to see you! A quick question: how long is your average conversation with ChatGPT? A single query to a large language model (LLM) consumes between 0.5 and 50 Wh, releasing 1–5 grams of CO₂. That’s ≈10 times more than for a conventional (“old-school”) Google search. But what does that mean for us scientists? Reducing Our Impacts According to Lannelongue et al., training AlphaFold took 11 days and emitted approximately 3.92 tons of CO₂e. And each time it predicts the structure of a protein with 2,500 residues, it adds another 3 kg… - [A Guide to Proper Freezer Maintenance](https://re-advance.com/a-guide-to-proper-freezer-maintenance/): Here’s an easy guide on how to clean your ULT freezer effectively while keeping downtime to a minimum. General Maintenance Clean the Condenser Filter The condenser filter traps dust and debris, which can block airflow and overwork the compressor. 👉 Schedule: Every 3 months or as recommended by the manufacturer. Clean the Condenser Coil The condenser coil dissipates heat from the freezer. Dust accumulation reduces efficiency. 👉 Schedule: Every 6–12 months, depending on the environment. Defrosts the freezer 👉 Schedule: Recommended once every six months but realistically more pragmatic to do once a year Clean the Vacuum Relief Port /… - [How To -Freezer Storage Documentation](https://re-advance.com/how-to-storage-documentation/): Freezer sample storage documentation is crucial as it not only saves energy by reducing freezer opening times, it also safeguards samples. Given the high turnover of people in science, having a reliable tracing system is key. Here are the basic steps on creating an outline (as simple as an Excel Sheet): Create The Basic Outline Enhance The Design Optional: Create a Visual Box Map Ensure Easy Access - [Science & Sustianability](https://re-advance.com/science-and-sustianability/): | The scientific instruments market, including all its innovations, was estimated at an astonishing $40 billion in 2023. When it comes to sustainability, approximately 50% of a laboratory’s electricity consumption is attributable to their instrumentation Similarly, billions of liters of reagents are required annually to run instruments. Surprisingly, even in the high-performance segment, significant efficiency differences exist. That means you can become more sustainable by saving reagents, reducing maintenance, and optimizing time when choosing the right instruments. Let us review some inspiring examples to provide you with a sense of what could be of help to you: Mass Spectrometry Some… - [Saving >62% Plastic Waste in SDS-PAGEs](https://re-advance.com/greener-sds-pages/): Imagine you could save the weight of a chocolate bar in plastic every time you conduct an experiment! Today I want to convince you that this is certainly possible. Let us discover how much waste we can save every time we prepare an SDS-PAGE, a rather short and straightforward protocol – nevertheless, there is a lot of potential for optimization! Work Smart, Not Hard Always create as many gels as possible and as few as necessary. This means that if you are planning to run multiple SDS-PAGEs within the next week, prepare 2 or 4 gels at a time.-> Advantage:… - [Reducing Energy Consumption In Laboratories](https://re-advance.com/reducing-energy-consumption-in-laboratories/): The university of Cambridge spent approximately 19 million pounds on energy in 2018. On average, about 60-75% of all energy is consumed by laboratories. Therefore, these steps, can significantly cut down on energy consumption while maintaining high standards of research and operation:  1. Develop a Comprehensive Energy Plan Pro Tip: Optimize Equipment Readiness: Measure how long it takes for your equipment to get ready and share this information in a collaborative Excel sheet with your team. This will help you plan better and avoid leaving equipment running longer than necessary.  2. Smart Purchasing Decisions  3. Optimize Settings Pic energy consumption… - [The Shortest Complete List of Sustainable Actions](https://re-advance.com/list-of-sustainable-actions/): This list is certainly not exhaustive since scientists come up with new amazing practices to make their laboratories more sustainable every day. However, here is as much inspiration as we can give: Reducing waste Improving experimental conduct and design Reducing paper, water and energy use Paper Water Energy Changing procurement and purchasing processes Using equipment Optimizing waste treatment Changing for internal organization Involving institute governance Optimizing HVAC - [Ask Me Anything - 10 Questions About Sustainability Answered](https://re-advance.com/ask-me-anything-10-questions-about-sustainability-answered/): Question 1: I work with animals, mice to be precise. Are there best practices or opportunities to be more sustainable? 1. Optimize Experimental Design Minimize: the number of animals used by ensuring experiments have sufficient statistical power and address specific research questions effectively. This reduces unnecessary animal usage and associated costs. 2. Consider Breeding Practices: Efficient breeding strategies are essential, especially for genetically modified mice, to avoid unnecessary surplus animals and overwork for researchers. 3. Reduce Waste and Resource Consumption: Implement practices to minimize waste generation, such as composting animal bedding, which requires coordination but can significantly reduce environmental impact.… - [3 Overlooked Benefits Of Publishing With A Society Journal](https://re-advance.com/3-overlooked-benefits-of-publishing-with-a-society-journal/): By Patrick Penndorf TL;DR In contrast to commercial journals run by publishers such as Nature or Science, Society Journals are run by practicing scientists within nonprofit research organizations. Therefore: • The editors in Society Journals are empathetic to the situation of researchers, prioritizing improvement of manuscripts instead of excessive requests. This is also why they organize handpicked peer review to assure valuable feedback. • Society Journals publish work dedicated to a certain field. They have a focused audience that is more likely to cite your work instead of just reading it. • Publishing with a Society Journal is a guarantee… - [An Introduction To Sustainable Procurement: A Scientist's Guide to Purchasing Greener Items For The Laboratory](https://re-advance.com/an-introduction-to-sustainable-procurement-a-scientists-guide-to-purchasing-greener-items-for-the-laboratory/): By Patrick Penndorf Procurement. In other words, the process of purchasing items and services for your laboratory. When I first delved into the world of procurement, I was met with a lot of complex jargon and convoluted advice. It felt confused and uncertain about my next step. Therefore, let me share what I have learned to help you make sense of this topic: If you do not want to read the entire article, here is my key take-away: As everything related to sustainability in science, sustainable procurement is about prioritizing differently. Instead of choosing the easiest solution, it is about… - [Top 5 Certifications For Scientists To Know About](https://re-advance.com/top-5-certifications-for-scientists-to-know-about/): Optimizing procurement strategies can be challenging. Searching for greener products and suppliers is not straightforward. Although it is impossible to get a hang of all certification out there, 5 questions can help you to get a good feeling: A) What do they assess?i.e., carbon footprints or working conditions | processes or products? B) Who is doing them?i.e., independent assessments? C) How is the assessment conducted?i.e., On site or Desktop (latter refers to companies is simply submitting documents to be reviewed) D) How often it has to be renewed?i.e., how long is the certification valid? E) How difficult is it to… - [A Concrete Guide To Greener Laboratories For Beginners](https://re-advance.com/a-concrete-guide-to-greener-laboratories-for-beginners/): How do you feel when I tell you that by following these 5 simple steps you already walked half the way to a green laboratory. It is all about you having an open mind when doing your research. This is all it needs to be more sustainable! ## Pages - [Bioinformatics](https://re-advance.com/readvance/bioinformatics/): The Footprint Of Bioinformatics 95kg of CO2? To simulate a virus for 0,1 second! What is the environmental impact of Bioinformatics? Assembling a Human Genome 11-15kg of CO2e RNA Read Alignment <1kg CO2e (Alignment of 10 million 100-base human read pairs) Phylogenetics Study of Birds >4372 kg of CO2e A good rule of thumb is that about 20-40% of energy is needed for the severs in data centers. 40% of their energy is used for cooling and about 20% of their downtime due to overheating.   Want to learn about sustainable practices but time is missing?Join our community to stay… - [ReAdvance for Associations and Companies](https://re-advance.com/associations-and-companies/): For Research Associations & Sustainability Initiatives Probably every researcher would opt for more sustainable solutions right away, but how to implement them? How to ensure that processes and experiments will not be impaired? Collaborations with Associations from all over the World An Impression of What We Do Sustainable SDS-PAGEs A Concept To Implement Sustainability Events & Workshops Articles Participating We organize talks & workshops for various audiences.   Most of our own events are virtual, however, especially work workshops an in person event often is more feasible! We write articles and create social media content about the solutions we found. … - [Privacy Policy](https://re-advance.com/privacy-policy/): Disclaimer & Privacy Policy English Version Legal Notice in Accordance with § 5 Digital Services Act (DDG) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).   Please note that the German version is legally binding; this translation is provided as a courtesy to our audience.     1. Contact & Responsible Person Patrick PenndorfSole ProprietorAddress: Lutherstrasse 159, 07743, Jena, Thuringia, GermanyEmail: GreenLaboratoryWork@gmail.comPhone: +49 1575 8256675VAT Identification Number: DE352914127     2. Definitions According to the definitions provided in the GDPR, the following terms are defined as follows: “Personal Data”: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter referred to… - [Sustainable Science Explained](https://re-advance.com/sustainable-science-explained/): Up to 950kg plastic A few years ago, it was estimated that a single medical researcher produces up to 950kg of plastic waste per year. With the approximately 8.8 million scientists worldwide in 2021 a lot of waste is generated… 100kg CO2e Scientists developed software to simulate viruses. Captivating right? However, that a prediction for 0,001 milliseconds can produce up to 100kg of CO2 equivalents might be equally fascinating. Sustainability in Science explained Sustainability within science has two facets. On the one hand, it relates to actual research to find solutions and innovations. For example, bio-based materials, new recycling strategies… - [Discover Sustainable Solutions](https://re-advance.com/scientists-and-universities/): Making your Laboratory more Sustainable We appreciate sustainability as a way to optimize research practices. When we make our work more efficient, we will automatically reduce our footprint but also benefit from other economical, mental and scientific perks. We discuss all these topics in our events. However, to create a long lasting impact, we alos summarized some of our insights for you to get an impression. Benefits of Sustainable Practice Saving Money Using fewer consumables means ordering fewer consumables. Tips, serological pipettes, gloves and chemicals – everything is getting more expensive. Being sustainable will pay back economically! Read More Mental… - [ReAdvance](https://re-advance.com/): Improving Science Through Sustainability By Sharing Protocols, Solutions and Innovations WHAT   You are a busy and you cannot afford any risk to the quality of your science. Still, sustainability is of importance to you. Whether it is reducing waste, finding new innovations, or communicating your efforts – we are here to save you time and effort! WHO   ReAdvance is an initiative led by scientists from all over the world.We have been behind the bench ourselves and seen the impact of our research first-hand.   Now, we want to share our experiences and those of experts worldwide that we… [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)