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

• Sample Type – DNA, protein, bacteria, cell culture, etc.
• Storage Location – Freezer number, rack, box, position (e.g., “FZ1_R2_B3_P07”).
• Sample ID – Unique identifier (e.g., “RNA_2024_01”).
• Sample Volume/Concentration – Important for determining if there is enough material left for experiments.
• Owner – Researcher responsible for the sample.
• Date Stored – Helps track sample age.
• Expiration/Disposal Date – Prevents storage of expired or unnecessary samples.
• Additional Notes – Space for relevant details (e.g., buffer composition, antibiotic resistance).

Enhance The Design

• Set up specific pages or separate tables for different kinds of samples (reagents vs DNA vs RNA vs Bacteria etc.)
• Use the filter function to help sorting and use Ctrl+F (Find function) to locate specific samples instantly.
• Add lines or colors to improve readability

Optional: Create a Visual Box Map

• In a separate Excel page/sheet, create a grid representation of each freezer (e.g., each tower/section that contains boxes + boxes) and each box (e.g., 10×10 matrix for a 100-slot box).

Ensure Easy Access

• Save the Excel file on a shared lab drive or cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive).
• Print a summary sheet and attach it to the freezer door for quick reference.

| 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.

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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 MS systems use nitrogen to remove solvent from ions in the ionization source. More efficient source designs and optimized desolvation processes can reduce this consumption.

For instance, Waters’ ESI mass spectrometers require a gas flow of 20–23 L/min, compared to other systems that use up to 77 L/min. In fact, older instruments consume liquid nitrogen even in “standby” mode.

At first glance, these numbers might seem negligible, but consider that in core facilities, instruments typically run for 8 hours each working day, 200 workdays à year (=48000 hours):

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    > Traditional Operation: 77 L/min × 48,000 min = 3,696,000 L

    > Sustainable Operation: 23 L/min × 48,000 min = 1,140,800 L

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In many industrial settings, instruments operate 24/7, enabling more than 23 Million liters of Nitrogen savings!

On Top, modern instrument come with vacuum pumps that achieve comparable pumping capacities at only 500 watts, whereas traditional oil pumps consume between 1,500 and 3,000 watts.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

In HPLC, several innovations have emerged. For example, solid-core particles or halving column length and particle size enable more efficient separations, reducing run times by up to 50%.

= This also means 50% less solvent use and energy consumption compared to conventional machines.

However, one of the most exciting advancements exists in column diameter.

While conventional LC-UV instruments still use 4.6-mm inner diameter (i.d.) columns, switching to 2.1-mm i.d. columns can reduce solvent consumption by up to 80%. Although extra column dispersion or internal backpressure can become a challenge, even more forgiving alternatives with 3.0-mm i.d. columns save about 60% of mobile phase use.

Considering that approximately 150 million kilograms of methanol and acetonitrile are used annually, these changes could save 50 million kilograms—the equivalent weight of 10 Eiffel Towers!

Investigating Protein Interactions – SPR

Beyond time and reagents use, efficient handling of samples is key. Older SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) instruments that enable the study of affinity of two ligands require approximately 150 µL of sample. Newer models, such as the Alto, reduce this amount to just 2 µL while requiring lower protein concentrations overall.

Although the concrete sustainability of this innovation has to be judged based on Life Cycle Analysis data, this instrument runs on DMF-powered cartridges, meaning it has no internal fluidics. As a result, maintenance and repair requirements for this part are eliminated altogether.

Imagine the reduced stress when less sample volume is needed, and expensive service calls are avoided—not to mention the lower carbon footprint associated with fewer service expert visits.

How This Knowledge Helps You:

Reagent use, running time, and sample preparation requirements are often undervalued when searching for new instruments. Importantly, faster processing speeds have compounding effects: reduced energy use, less heat generation, and therefore lower HVAC demands.

To evaluate the sustainability of equipment, consider these 5 core factors:

• Sufficiency & Breadth of Performance
• Operation Efficiency (e.g., energy consumption and heat generation)
• Type and Volume of Required Reagents (including sample preparation)
• By-products and Waste Generation (from reagents and samples)
• Embodied Carbon of the Materials

A personal tip: think outside the box. Don’t opt for the standard, instead choose what benefits you. For example, nowadays, very short 10×2.1 mm cartridge columns in HPLC systems are available. They save up to 88% of running time and 70% of solvent. However, they come with a lower resolution. If you need peaks as sharp as possible this is nothing for you. If you use an LC-MS system, broader peaks are not an issue, however, saving time, money and waste is.

| Ultimately, the question is whether we want to embrace optimization or stick with the conventional.

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You want to learn more about how to make laboratories sustainable by enhancing workflows?
Then sign up for our weekly “Sustainability Snack” that outlines case studies, helpful tools and step-by-step guides for free.

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: This will halve or reduce to a quarter the amount of waste and time used.

Following The Right Order

Use the following pipetting order from dedicated stocks to reuse one serological pipette instead of three (cutting your waste by one-third):

• Water
• Low molecular Tris buffer
• High molecular Tris buffer
• Acrylamide

Ensure the volumes for each are large enough to pipette conveniently.
-> You cut your waste by one-third and save the time required to exchange pipettes.

Note: Be sure to use best practices and expel the liquid completely. The risk of contamination is minimal since you only take up fluid (without mixing), and this wouldn’t be a concern anyway, as you use dedicated stocks. However, we still aim to work as carefully as possible.

For SDS, 10% | N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) | Ammonium persulfate (APS), you use a single tip for each.

Traditional Approach

• 10 mL serological pipette: 3x = 26.91 g
• P1000 tip: 1x = 0.755 g
• P200 tip: 2x = 0.329 g

Sustainable Approach

• 10 mL serological pipette: 1x = 8.97 g
• P1000 tip: 1x = 0.755 g
• P200 tip: 2x = 0.329 g

28.323 g vs. 10.383 g -> 63% reduction

Keep Them With You

Each time you reuse your Falcon tubes (Tris buffers, acrylamide – SDS is often stored in a single 15 mL tube, APS and TEMED in smaller tubes), you cut down your waste even further. For us, reusing them for half a year has never caused any issues. However, for simplicity, let’s assume you reuse them 10 times:

Traditional Approach

• 50 mL tube: 10x*3 = 384.9 g

Sustainable Approach

• 50 mL tube: 1x*3 = 38.5 g

384.9 g vs. 38.5 g -> 90% savings

= Combined, these measures save more than 350 g of plastic, equivalent to the weight of 3.5 chocolate bars – just in plastic waste!

Note: We need 2x 50 mL tubes to mix our gels, so for each approach, add 25.66 g of waste to the total.

Bonus Tip
How do you know when your gel has polymerized sufficiently?
Since it is advisable to prepare a bit of excess solution in case you spill something or your apparatus is not entirely sealed, keep this remainder in your preparation tube. You will know the gel has polymerized when the leftover solution sets.
(Of note, polymerized gel is much less toxic than the liquid form, so never discard it into the sink!)

You can then leave the gel in the tube or throw it out later and reuse the tube. If you remove the gel, just be gentle and ensure no clumps are left behind. If in doubt, it’s better to discard the tube!

Weight of Items We Used (varies by manufacturer)

• 10 mL pipette: 8.97 g
• P1000 tip: 0.755 g
• P200 tip: 0.329 g
• 50 mL tube: 12.83 g

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

• Schedule Machine Usage: Create a clear plan for when to turn machines on and off. Coordinate with your lab mates to decide on the best times to power down, use standby modes, or keep equipment running.

• Define Shutdown Protocols: Establish clear rules, such as “Turn off directly after use,” “Ask before turning off,” “Never turn off,” or “Turn off if you’re the last person leaving the lab.” This ensures everyone is on the same page, reducing unnecessary energy use.

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

• Choose Energy-Efficient Equipment: When purchasing new equipment, prioritize models with lower energy consumption. Look for certifications like the ACT label and Energy Star, which indicate high efficiency and lower environmental impact.

 3. Optimize Settings

• Adjust Temperature Settings: Reconsider the temperature settings on your -80°C freezers, refrigerators, and air conditioning units.
• Collaborate with Building Administration: Work with your building administration and HVAC personnel to optimize temperature settings and air exchanges.
• Fine-Tune Experimental Settings: During experiments, review your settings to ensure they are energy-efficient. This includes scanning areas for microscopy or test runs to establish optimal settings.

Pic energy consumption from last time pdf with S-labs consumption of HVAC vs others

 4. Efficient Equipment Usage

• Choose the Right Piece of Equipment: For example, the appropriate centrifuge for your needs—smaller models often consume less energy.
• Maximize Dishwasher and Autoclave Efficiency: Only operate dishwashers and autoclaves when they are full, reducing the number of cycles and saving energy.
• Upgrade Software and Packages: Look for newer, more efficient software or packages that require less processing power.
• Optimize Server and Storage Usage: Make conscious choices about which servers to use and explore ways to save on hard drive space.

 5. Regular Maintenance

• Keep Equipment Well-Maintained: Regularly clean equipment, change necessary filters, and ensure refrigeration coils and door seals on refrigerators and freezers are clean and functioning efficiently.
• Declutter your Lab: Periodically check your samples and reagents, discarding anything you no longer need. This reduces the load on your storage equipment and improves overall efficiency.

 6. Collaborative Sharing

• Share Laboratory Equipment: Partner with other departments to share equipment. This not only saves on energy by reducing the number of instruments running but also cuts costs by sharing expenses with other research groups.
• When starting a new experimental series, try to involve collaborators to conduct test runs to validate hypotheses before establishing new methods in your lab

 7. Optimize Equipment

• Use Multi-Plugs and Smart Plugs: Employ multi-plugs or smart plugs to easily turn off ovens, water baths, and other equipment during inactivity. Automated on/off cycles can also ensure equipment isn’t left running unnecessarily.
• Improve Equipment Efficiency: Use covers for water baths and replace oil baths with more efficient alternatives like metal heating blocks or modern oil pumps. These small changes can lead to significant energy savings over time.

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

• Choosing providers that avoid unnecessary packaging or opt for more easily degradable solutions like paper

• Reducing plastic waste within the laboratory can be achieved by:
• Using alternatives such as glass or metal items for flasks, dishes, serological pipettes and weighing boards
• Minimizing the size of consumables (especially tubes, serological pipettes, pipette tips)
• Pouring solutions where precises volumes are not decisive (e.g., washing steps)
• Reusing Falcon tubes, potentially after rinsing, especially for frequently used solutions
• Reusing pipette tips, tubes where cross-contamination is not an issue

• Precise calculation and bulk preparation of reagents and solutions
• Conscious use of gloves
• Making use of take-back programs for plastic items, including Styrofoam

Improving experimental conduct and design

• Proper experimental planning can be achieved by:
  • Leveraging existing literature to avoid redundant experiments
  • Robust statistical planning (especially power analysis) help reduce sample sizes and enhance statistical validity
  • Carefully chosen experimental conditions with proper controls
  • Reviewing consumable utilization ahead of conduct (including material, size and number of consumables)
  • Preparation procedures (e.g., optimizing pipetting schemes and master-mixes to reuse tips and tubes)
  • Adopting safer and more benign alternatives for commonly used reagents in experiments (e.g., DNA staining solutions, microscopic slide mounting agents, lysing agents, or protease inhibitors)
  • Alternative experimental approaches (e.g., using Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to avoid organic solvents needed in HPLC)
  • Consider potential for downstream use or regeneration (e.g., regeneration of nucleic acid extraction columns)

• Implementing strategies and frameworks to ensure best practices (e.g., handling pipettes upright when pipetting)
• Awareness of toxicity of reagents in use for proper handling and discarding (e.g., including closing lids to avoid evaporation)

• Initiating collaboration with:
  • Colleagues in co-preparation of solutions, sharing of samples or co-use of machines (e.g., water baths)
  • Other groups to share equipment
  • Core facilities or partners to avoid unnecessary establishment of new methods

• Implementing the 12 rules of Green Chemistry, including
  • Conscious solvent and reagent selection (according to safety, LCA and impact assessment, e.g., Ethanol instead of Acetonitrile)
  • Optimize procedures by using catalyzers and reducing resource-intensive processes like heating or distillation
  • Using renewable feedstock and designing products for degradation

• Refining computational experiments by:
  • Adapting practices that reduce running times and optimize code efficiency
  • Measuring carbon footprints (and potential reductions)
  • Considering relocating computational tasks to energy-efficient data centers
  • Planning to run jobs during times of low demand
  • Implementing checkpointing strategies to streamline computational processes and reduce unnecessary energy consumption
  • Storing only essential data for regenerating large datasets, reducing energy demands and use hard drives instead of cloud-storage only
  • Avoiding using screensavers to minimize needless energy consumption
  • Selecting energy-efficient hardware especially when buying anew

Reducing paper, water and energy use

Paper

• Transition to digital sources like electronic lab journaling and online publications
• When printing is necessary, using recycled paper and opt for double-sided printing on previously used paper

Water

• Minimize water use, for example by soaking steps and mechanical cleaning
• Consciously discern water types (tap, distilled, double distilled etc.)
• Use only as much ice as needed

Energy

• Regularly organizing and cleaning digital inboxes to prevent unnecessary data storage
• Maintain a tidy system for experimental data, avoiding unnecessary duplication and keeping a safety copy securely stored on a hard drive
• Exercise caution with AI technologies and use of search engines due to their potential high energy consumption
• Evaluating the necessity of video in online meetings and switch to audio-only when possible to minimize data and energy usage
• Keeping laboratory fume hood sashes shut and turn machines off when not in use (e.g., water baths)
• Setting PCR-Holding Temperature to 12°C or higher

Changing procurement and purchasing processes

• Planning orders carefully by:
  • Creating an internal system to track chemical inventory and consumable supplies to minimize unnecessary orders
  • Collaborating with other laboratories or facilities to collect orders

• Choosing products consciously by:
  • Procuring items in quantities aligned with future usage
  • Emphasizing sustainable packaging practices, favoring minimal material usage and biodegradable materials where possible
  • Opting for specific shipping methods and alternatives to conventional cooling methods (e.g., when ordering polymerases without cooling or oligos dry)
  • Thoroughly evaluating feasible alternatives based on certifications, life cycle analyses, and sustainability practices

• Choosing the optimal supplier:
  • Preferring local suppliers to reduce transportation-related emissions and dependency on global supply routes
  • Preferring certified suppliers and articles
  • Exploring take-back programs and consider second-hand purchases to enhance sustainable procurement practices

Using equipment

• Choose instruments with reference to:
  • lifetime (e.g., photomultiplier tubes have longer lifetimes)
  • capacity (e.g., volume of sterilizers & autoclaves)
  • components (using low-boiling-point solvents in air-cooled condensers to reduce energy consumption)

• Running equipment that
  • Minimizes reagent use (e.g., Nitrogen consumption in MS or HPLC columns with smaller inner diameter to reduce solvent consumption and waste creation)
  • Enables change to more sustainable alternatives (Hydrogen as carrier gas instead of He in GC/MS)
  • Enables internal reuse (e.g., automated recycling of the mobile phase for example after absorption of the impurities)

• Making a conscious choice about what methodology to use (e.g., wet vs dry blotting, on site analysis, high throughput analysis, combination techniques such as LC-MS)
• Exercising best practices (e.g., not let elution fractions from chromatography columns evaporate or using all spots on matrix array plates for MS, putting as many samples on one microscopy slide as possible)
• Being aware of the robustness of methods (e.g., ability to reuse TLC capillaries after rinsing)

• Reducing energy use by:
  • Developing an energy plan, i.e., when to turn on and off individual machines
  • Using strategies like multi-plugs to turn off ovens and water baths during inactivity or employing smart plugs for automated on/off cycles
  • Considering carefully how you use equipment (settings including scanning area in microscopy)
  • Modifying freezer temperatures, such as increasing from -80 to -70
  • Using covers for water baths and replace oil baths with more efficient alternatives like metal heating blocks or efficient oil pumps
  • Operating dishwashers and autoclaves only at full capacity
  • Consciously choosing levels for the A/C set-up

• Reducing water use by:
  • Implementing low-flow aerators to conserve water
  • Using closed-cycle cooling systems and waterless liquid-cooled condensers with low-boiling-point solvents as an alternative to single-pass cooling methods

Optimizing waste treatment

• Making sure that evaporating waste is handled properly (e.g., stored in a hood or closed container)
• Using old jerry cans/flasks/container as waste containers (or already contaminated tubes)
• Create a plan how to handle cooling packs, animal bedding, Styrofoam etc
• Establishing education and indication systems (e.g., exhaustive stickers on waste bins, using and a database with necessary educational resources)
• Repairing broken glassware and old pipettes

Changing for internal organization

• Exploring “Smart-Lab” innovations to monitor and quantify lab processes (e.g., monitoring old freezers to control failures or assess energy consumptions)
• Have open conversations and discussion in lab meetings
• Reusing Labcoats

• Freeing and optimizing use of lab-space by:
  • Only buying/installing equipment that is certainly needed
  • Promoting the use of spacing or energy saving alternatives e.g. ventilated storage cabinets instead of fume hoods for storage
  • Encouraging the removal of unused equipment

Involving institute governance

• Creating clear guidelines, regulations or position papers
• Creating a position for a Sustainability Manager/Green Lab Expert
• Conscious assessment of space use and encouraging shared utilization of equipment
• Consciously choosing 3rd parties (e.g., for waste treatment or power providers)
• Initiating conversations with cafeteria staff to explore ways to mitigate their carbon footprint

Optimizing HVAC

• Adjusting and decreasing air flow within laboratory spaces during periods of inactivity at night or during vacations
• Prioritizing smart design principles when constructing new laboratories (e.g., including proper insulation, strategic window and vent placement, strategic placement and employment of emergency power systems)
• Precisely reviewing and setting A/C levels
• Organizing freezer placement and air conditioning systems properly to ensure efficient air circulation
• Removing or replacing energy inefficient equipment (e.g., sucking pumps)

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.

4. Balance Sterility and Reduction: Do not impair cleanliness levels in animal facilities but plan your stay (potentially with coworkers) to reduce the amount of personal protective equipment worn.

5. Optimize Experimental Procedures: Streamline laboratory protocols to minimize resource usage, such as reducing pipette tip consumption or maximizing cell yield from harvested organs.

Literature: Some ideas for optimizing statistics: A / B / C

Question 2: What is possible to make more sustainable when it comes to experiments?

1. Review Experimental Strategies: Did you optimize statistics in terms of power and significance? Do you have a solid strategy, e.g., efficient implementation of controls or avoiding using painkillers without known mechanisms as controls.

2. Implement the Six R’s: Focus on reducing and reusing materials. For instance, pipette tips can be reused by pipetting water before DNA, and wash solutions can be prepared directly in petri dishes to minimize tube usage. Also, consider using the same culture dish for routine passaging after thorough validation. Sometimes it is possible to pour wash-solutions instead of pipetting them etc.

3. Method Optimization: It depends very much on your set-up, e.g., investigate greener methods such as HPLC-MS, which streamline workflows and require fewer sample preparations. Consider using alternative eluents like ethanol instead of acetonitrile, although potential drawbacks like increased HPLC pressure and altered UV cutoff must be considered.

In the live event I mentioned: 6R and some inspiration for HPLC

Question 3: What is meant by regulation in sustainability?

Regulation in sustainability refers to laws and requirements set by national or supranational entities, such as the European Union, that compel organizations to report on their sustainability efforts and adhere to certain standards. Currently, this primarily affects industries and companies, but there’s a possibility it may extend to academic research laboratories in the future.

For companies, compliance with sustainability regulations may involve the creation of sustainability reports, which are becoming as critical as financial statements. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) may necessitate reporting on a wide range of data points, potentially exceeding 1,000.

In laboratories, sustainability regulation may require reporting on activities and environmental impacts, such as Scope 3 emissions from procurement and purchasing. Sustainability officers or designated personnel may be tasked with collecting and managing this data.

Regulation can also influence purchasing decisions, potentially requiring organizations to consider sustainability factors when acquiring products or chemicals, akin to current hiring practices where equal opportunities are provided to all applicants.

You can watch our previous event on that topic as well : )

Question 4: We need administration to join in. But how?

1. Regulation and Reporting Waiting for regulations to mandate sustainability reporting or initiatives can provide a framework for administration involvement (unfortunate but true…)

2. Grassroots Initiatives Scientists and staff can actively prompt administration by demonstrating the value and feasibility of sustainability initiatives. By proactively suggesting and implementing sustainability measures, staff can show administration the potential benefits and garner support for broader initiatives.

3. Align with Administrative Priorities Tailoring sustainability initiatives to align with administrative priorities can help garner support. For example, emphasizing the educational value of sustainability initiatives can appeal to universities focused on teaching and education. Demonstrating cost savings, reduced maintenance or risk reduction associated with sustainability measures can be quite powerful. However, sometimes, personal buy-in can be sufficient. E.g., an amazing colleague called Star Scott has convinced administration by making them emotionally involved after sharing that their lab waste ended up in nearby socially disadvantaged communities.

Question 5: What are Carbon Credits?

Carbon credits are a form of tradable permit or certificate that represents the right to emit one ton of carbon dioxide or an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases. They are a mechanism used to offset emissions by investing in projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.

Here’s how carbon credits typically (should) work:

1. Emission Reduction Projects: Carbon offset projects can take various forms, such as reforestation, renewable energy generation, methane capture from landfills, or energy efficiency initiatives. These projects are implemented to either reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

2. Certification and Verification: Once a project is implemented, it undergoes a certification process to ensure that it meets certain standards and criteria set by various carbon offsetting organizations.

3. Issuance of Carbon Credits: Upon successful verification, carbon credits are issued to the project based on the amount of emissions reduced or removed. Each carbon credit typically represents one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) that has been mitigated by the project.

4. Trading and Sale Carbon: credits can be bought and sold on carbon markets, allowing companies or individuals to offset their own emissions by purchasing credits generated by emission reduction projects.

5. Offsetting Emissions: By purchasing carbon credits, companies or individuals can offset their own carbon footprint, effectively neutralizing their emissions by investing in projects that mitigate emissions elsewhere.

However, while carbon credits are intended to incentivize emission reductions and support sustainable development initiatives, there are huge issues with their effectiveness and integrity:

1. Additionality: There are many example where some carbon offset projects may not be additional, meaning they would have occurred anyway even without the sale of carbon credits. This raises questions about the real environmental impact of offsetting activities.

2. Longevity: Some offset projects, such as reforestation, face challenges related to permanence. For example, a forest that is planted to sequester carbon could be subject to deforestation in the future, leading to the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

3. Estimation: The amount of carbon credits issued is most often based on calculations that rely on a broad range of assumptions. In effect, emission reduction is expected, not assured. A wide range of projects was vastly overestimating their reduction.

4. Wrongly Incentivizing: Some companies will tend to buy credits instead of making possible reductions in their emissions. On the other hand, companies have been able to issue carbon credits for driving reductions that would be obligatory by law anyway.

One heart-breakingly obscure story, one estimate on the impact if the global north would offset all emissions, one Youtube video that illustrates the issue

Question 6: How do I convince colleagues who don’t care about sustainability?

1. Understand Their Concerns: Start by having conversations with your colleagues to understand their perspectives and concerns. What are their priorities, motivations, and objections? By listening attentively, you can tailor your approach to address their specific interests and apprehensions.

2. Highlight Benefits Beyond Sustainability: Frame sustainability initiatives in terms of the benefits that matter most to your colleagues. For example, emphasize cost savings, improved efficiency, enhanced safety, or regulatory compliance. By demonstrating how sustainability aligns with their objectives, you can make a more compelling case for its importance.

3. Provide Evidence and Case Studies: Share relevant data, research studies, and case examples that illustrate the positive outcomes of sustainable practices. Highlight success stories from similar organizations or industries to show the tangible benefits of adopting sustainable initiatives.

4. Emphasize Future Potential: Highlight the risks associated with lingering with the status quo, such as potential regulatory penalties, reputational damage, or operational lags with newer innovations. Sustainability as a proactive strategy for risk management and resilience, not just a nice idea to benefit the environment.

5. Engage in Collaborative Problem-Solving: Foster a collaborative approach by involving colleagues in the decision-making process and soliciting their input on sustainability initiatives. Encourage brainstorming sessions where everyone can contribute ideas and perspectives, fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to collective goals.

6. Celebrate Achievements: Recognize and celebrate milestones and achievements related to sustainability initiatives within your organization. Highlighting success stories and positive outcomes can motivate and inspire colleagues to engage more actively in sustainability efforts.

7. Continuous Communication and Education Keep the conversation about sustainability ongoing by regularly sharing updates, insights, and educational resources with your colleagues. Foster a culture of learning and open dialogue where sustainability is viewed as a dynamic and evolving priority. This is especially important when new members or students join the laboratory.

Check out our weekly lessons on that topic to convince others or help your coworkers or initiate lasting change

Question 7: I’ve been separating trash for a long time, but heard it doesn’t help. Is that true?

It is not true, however, there are a few points to consider:

1. Effective Separation: Properly separating your waste, especially plastics, is crucial. High-quality plastics, such as those typically used in labs, are valuable for recycling. Ensure that your cleaning staff maintains the separation of recyclable materials and doesn’t mix them together during disposal.

2. Trustworthy Recycling Programs: If you’re participating in recycling programs or working with third-party waste management services, ensure that they are reputable and transparent about their recycling processes. Unfortunately, there have been cases where companies claim to take-back waste and after the additional transportation discarded their waste without recycling it.

3. Consider Waste Types: While paper recycling tends to be successful, the effect of separating biological waste depends heavily on your location. Unfortunately, it is hard to generalize. Also, different types of plastics have varying recycling capabilities. PET, for example, has a higher chance of being recycled than PC in many cities.

Question 8: How to switch to greener chemicals? I’m mainly doing synthesis work.

1. Due Diligence: Before implementing any changes in your lab practices, it’s essential to conduct thorough research and consider the potential impacts. Sustainability efforts should be deliberate and well-planned to ensure effectiveness. We will need to try things out, but there should be a method to the madness.

2. Trade-offs: When choosing “greener” solvents for experiments, it’s crucial to consider that there are many factors such as price, health impacts, environmental regulations, and life cycle analysis playing into the equation. It is also important to note that there is no standardized definition of environmental impact. Since are no unified scales or definitions, you will find a plethora of measurements and assessment, therefore, a bit of subjective decision making will be remain.

3. Guides for Sustainable Practices: Utilizing tools and guides, such as solvent selection guides, can provide valuable insights into choosing sustainable alternatives. These resources offer information on the environmental impact of different chemicals and help researchers make informed decisions.

Here are Nr.1 and Nr.2 useful publications.

Question 9: What is procurement and how can I make it more sustainable?

Procurement involves all the practices connected to purchasing items and services for your laboratory.

Here are some key points on how to make it more sustainable:

1. Efficiency: It’s important to ensure that what you purchase is truly necessary and beneficial for your institute, company, or laboratory. Avoid unnecessary purchases by consulting with collaborators or colleagues to determine actual needs.

2. Bulk Ordering: Ordering items in bulk can increase efficiency and save time and resources. By coordinating bulk orders, you can minimize the frequency of deliveries and ensure that all items are received and stored properly.

3. Delivery Practices: Consider the delivery practices of the companies you purchase from, including the frequency of deliveries and their impact on the environment. Companies that prioritize sustainable delivery practices contribute to overall sustainability efforts.

4. Ethical Considerations: As sustainable procurement extends beyond environmental considerations evaluate the ethical practices of suppliers, including their treatment of workers and adherence to labor laws

Also here you can refer to a recording from our events

Question 10: What are options to make computational work more sustainable?

1. Energy-efficient Equipment: Consider the energy efficiency of the computational equipment used for bioinformatics analyses. Opt for newer, more energy-efficient hardware when possible.

2. Data Storage: Evaluate options for storing and managing data, such as using cloud-based storage versus local hard drives. While cloud storage offers convenience and scalability, local storage on hard drives may be more energy-efficient in the long term, especially if the data doesn’t need to be accessed frequently.

3. Code Optimization: Optimize bioinformatics algorithms and software code to minimize running time. This can involve using optimized algorithms and libraries, as well as implementing efficient coding practices.

4. Data Filtering and Processing: Minimize the amount of data processed and analyzed by applying filtering criteria and selective processing techniques. Focus on extracting relevant information from datasets while discarding unnecessary data, which can reduce computational workload and energy consumption. Nevertheless, be careful what data you discard!

5. Off-Peak Computing: Schedule bioinformatics analyses and computations during off-peak hours when computational resources are underutilized. This can help reduce overall energy consumption and alleviate strain on computational infrastructure during peak usage periods.

And many more right here on our website

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 balancing environmental, societal and economical impacts. It always comes at a cost (time, effort, risk) upfront but will pay off in the long turn.

Why Procurement Matters

Did you know that a significant chunk of laboratory emissions stems from purchasing? One Preprint found that up to 56% of laboratory missions can be attributed to procurement alone.

Also, more regulations that require companies to report about their footprints are released. Especially the EU is moving quickly (e.g., CSRD). Even for academic laboratories such obligations could be a reality soon. Their universities, funding bodies or the government might ask for such data.

Still, it not just about saving the planet; there are tangible cost savings too. Companies like Unilever, Pepsico, and Nike have saved millions by optimizing their procurement processes ($1.2 Billion, $60 and $50 million respectively).

But What Is SUSTAINABLE Procurement?

Sustainable procurement is revisiting and shifting our purchasing priorities to make it about more than just buying what fits. It is about valuing environmental, social, and economic factors as well.

There are 8 “factors” that in my opinion explain well what it means to prioritize sustainability  (and to make this section not too dry, I will add a bit of black humor to illustrate what it should NOT look like):

Effectiveness – buying what (actually) align with your organization’s goals.
“You said DNA-Prep Kits, I understood NEW COFFEE MACHINE“

Efficiency – reducing expenses, emissions and environmental damage to a minimum.
“Although it took 8 months for my product to arrive, it at least has seen every continent on earth – I am so proud!”

Competitive Openness – inviting (all) suppliers to compete for the best offer (in terms of price as well as environmental impacts).
“No need for tedious online research, my friend is assembling CRISPR Kits in his garage”

Transparency – you should know and share where your products come from, how they’re made, and what their environmental footprint looks like.
“Phh that number is so long it could be my phone number, just put into in the supplementary of the additional information in the attachments”

Fairness – avoiding discrimination of certain providers and contributing to proper cooperation.
“I hate their logo, this blue tone is off-putting, they are out!”

Accountability – holding both yourself and your suppliers accountable for ethical practices, whether it’s fair labor conditions or responsible sourcing of materials.
“I think Tony messed up again … but anyway, he is paying for the beer so don’t mess with him!”

Responsibility – recognizing the broader impact of your procurement choices.
“Environmental exploration – I would be glad if that would finally happen here so they could start building this new highway…”

Independence – making purchasing decisions based on objective criteria rather than external influences or biases (e.g., from single stakeholders).
“But the oracle (aka my neighbor who works at this company) has forsaken that this is going to be the new gold-standard in a few years”

Independence – making purchasing decisions based on objective criteria rather than external influences or biases (e.g., from single stakeholders).
“But the oracle (aka my neighbor who works at this company) has forsaken that this is going to be the new gold-standard in a few years”

But In How Far Does That Relate To The Laboratory?

Laboratories were built to do science, not to have your search through google for hours to find some reagent that might reduce environmental impacts and might work potentially too, in some cases, if you are is lucky.

Most changes in your procurement have to happen in alignment with your laboratory. And some can only be sparked there. To provide some examples, here are four of them:

Collaboration and Resource Sharing

Reduction is king. Before making a purchase, explore opportunities for collaboration or resource sharing. Can you partner with other labs to share equipment or borrow chemicals? Setting up an excel or designated chat/Email Group to inquire can be helpful for larger institutes.

Reduce delivery footprints through collective purchasing and bulk orders, especially in institutions with multiple labs. By pooling resources and purchasing in bulk, you can not only save costs but also reduce packaging waste. And for laboratories with smaller financial resources, it might be the only way to afford some especially expensive antibodies or equipment.

Reviewing Procurement Practices

Do you need to reorder, or can you reuse? Some columns can be recovered, while tubes for commonly needed solutions can be reused. Instead of purchasing entire DNA isolation kits, reuse collection tubes to safe money and only buy the columns (QIAGEN offers that for example).

Especially for academic laboratories, mindful organization and distribution of laboratory are often lacking. Keep track of expiration dates and where stocks are kept. This will save a lot of time and money. Also, multiple people accepting deliveries an putting items in various storage locations can result in items getting lost. Software and systems for inventory management are available (even for free) – and sometimes an excel sheet will do too.

Exploring Innovation And Alternatives for Solvents & Reagents

Explore which new items and equipment exist to save energy, chemicals and resources. Some MS and HPLC machines already use less chemicals/eluents and need less energy. Eppendorf produces tubes made to 90% out of plant oil waste streams.

Especially for laboratories in the bioeconomy, can you repurpose waste streams or adopt alternative methods that require fewer resources?

Make use of resources such as the solvent guide from the University of Pennsylvania to identify sustainable alternatives for commonly used solvents. Get informed about the 12 principles of green chemistry. Software such as the DOZN Tool make it easier to optimize experimental procedures (solvent choice, reaction conditions, and waste minimization strategies etc).

Finding Better Options To Order Your Products

Look for suppliers offering eco-friendly alternatives for the items you need. As mentioned, consider bio-based products like Eppendorf tubes made from recycled plant oil waste streams.

Shift your focus towards suppliers that prioritize sustainable delivery methods and packaging materials. Vendors like NEB, utilize paper and hemp-based products instead of traditional plastic for packaging. Additionally, inquire about innovative shipping practices, such as sending items at ambient temperatures to minimize the need for cooling materials (especially ice packs) and insulation (available e.g., for primers).

Also, what happens to your items “downstream” is a factor to be considered. Opt for items with eco-friendly disposal options, such as paper cartridges from Labcon instead of traditional plastic counterparts. Additionally, suppliers like Rainin offer easily recyclable pipette tip boxes. Others offer to take back your waste (but take care, some of them just discard it themselves and thereby cause a higher footprint due to additional transport).

Let’s Be Honest

While the principles might seem straightforward at first glance, putting them into action can be a complicated  task.

Sustainable procurement isn’t just about being eco-friendly; it’s about finding the delicate balance between environmental, economic, and social considerations.

Can you trust all claims made? Theoretically, certification should help you make the decision. We give some tips and introduce the top 5 most important certifications in another article of ours.

And we cannot forget, all change inherently involves risk. What if the new product or supplier that seems to be of superior quality doesn’t deliver in time?

To make it easier for you, here is an actionable plan. It also summarizes the information from above:

A Five-Step Roadmap To Get Started

1. Awareness & Assessment

Begin by actively trying to understand what sustainable procurement entails. Understand the environmental, economical and social impacts associated with the items and services you procure. Assess your current procurement practices (i.e., everything that you did not consider to be important so far). So far, it is not about finding solutions, just to get used to take the knowledge from this article and translate it to your laboratory. Also, you will discover more as you go along, no need to get paralyzed at this step.

2. Learning & Identification

This is the most painful step – it takes time to learn about sustainability and alternatives available in the market. Explore different products, suppliers, and procurement practices step by step. Often, it is 50% active search and 50% keeping an open mind to notice interesting alternatives (here, the algorithms suggestion you solutions can become your friend) Educate not only yourself but leverage your team as well – again, remind them that there is a lot of money to be saved.

3. Prioritization

There is no perfectly sustainable procurement. You need to find what is most important to you and where you are ready to take a step back. Consider whether certain purchases are essential. Evaluate the importance of factors such as environmental impact, supply chain ethics, and end-of-life considerations for you personally (or your laboratory or company). This will also depend on your circumstances, i.e., which possibilities and freedom you have.

4. Balancing Risks & Testing

Each and every change comes at a risk. Recognize that transitioning to sustainable procurement will involve uncertainties too. No perfect solutions available. Conduct thorough risk assessments before implementing changes. If possible test alternative products or practices on a small scale to gauge their effectiveness and reliability. And do not be disappointed if some alternatives seem just to risky. Times will change and at the start of new projects, changes are implemented more easily.

5. Reporting, KPIs & Maintenance

Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of sustainable procurement efforts. Develop a reporting framework to track progress and communicate achievements internally and externally. Stay informed about emerging regulations and industry standards related to sustainability reporting. Regularly review and update procurement practices to maintain alignment with sustainability goals.

If this article contained any useful information for you, you can always join our weekly lessons, live events for free: https://forms.gle/iGkDKX4XDRTUnsRVA

Or you can follow us on social media where we share these lessons in bit-sized chunks: https://linktr.ee/readvance

Finally, if you want to see some real-life examples of how to go through websites from providers, you can watch our recording (and there you can also see me in person ; )

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.

However, making our research more sustainable requires a commitment.

It requires one to make the decision to take the first step. Often, the energy for such change comes from a personal insight. For me, it struck during the research for my bachelor thesis. One day I suddenly realized the stark contrast between my efforts to be eco-conscious at home and my actions within the laboratory. Without even noticing, when entering the laboratory, I became intimidated by my protocols and the need for sterility. My natural tendency for being sustainable and as efficient as possible completely got lost. At least until I actively decided to take the first step into the right direction.

Now, quite a few years later, I was able to reduce the waste in some of my experiments that take place in sterile environments by about 65%. Furthermore, I am part of an international initiative that shares our insights and experiences with scientists all over the world!

My peers were sparked by various other experiences. Some by another person sharing their experience, others by a compelling Youtube video… Surprisingly, it most often is a trivial cause. Yet a pivotal moment because it goes along with the awakening to the importance of sustainability.

After deciding to make a change, where shall one start?

Here are 5 tips to implement sustainable practices without much experience, without needing much time and without compromising anything we do in the laboratory (not even our funds):

1. Do what is green but does not affect your research itself

When starting out you do not need to “edit” your protocols themselves. Start with the simple yet impactful actions that govern how you use items.

Simple changes, like opting for smaller consumables such as 15mL tubes over 50mL ones, can halve waste output.

Reusing items like Falcon tubes and pipette tips, especially for non-contaminating solutions, reduces single-use plastics as well. For example, when preparing your SDS-PAGE gel, set up dedicated stocks only for gels and then use the same serological pipette for water, Tris and Acrylamide. Also, reuse the tubes to refill your stocks.

Switching from plastic to glass or metal it is topic of much discussion. Nevertheless, no need (or possibility) for completely banning plastics. Identify the steps where it is not a big deal to use glass/metal. For example, instead of using serological pipettes use measuring cylinders. The same counts for weighing boards and inoculation loops. Thinking about where you can make these switches, will also help you to see where you might be able to reuse your plastic articles in case glass/metal is not available.

2. Find out where precision is not paramount

Do not overcomplicate it. One of my teachers once told me: “to become a good researcher you got to know where you need to be precise and where not … otherwise you will never finish a day in time.” By the same token, we can be more sustainable: pouring instead of pipetting solutions where precise volumes do not matter (e.g., wash buffers when preparing your samples for microscopy) minimizes unnecessary plastic usage.

Explore opportunities for reusing components within experimental kits, like DNA isolation columns, for which you can reuse the collection tubes. Some suppliers already offer to ship just the columns for a lower price.

Do I need to mention mindful glove usage by wearing them multiple times, when uncontaminated.

3. Adhere to best practices although it is hard

Though we are often tempted to give in when under stress, adhering to best practices will serve environmental and scientific benefits.

Concretely, that can mean to do test runs before launching the main analysis. Let us say you want to scan a large area with your super new and all fancy microscope. It takes 2 more minutes indeed to double check settings and do a small area test run but it will save you a lot of time, bleached sample and electricity when you do not need to realize after 5 hours that you forgot to turn down the gain. Even worse, under stress we tend to do mistakes which in case of lasers in a microscope or samples getting stuck in a flow cytometer can mean repairing services worth thousands of dollars and weeks of downtime.

Something less dramatic might be to precisely calculate and bulk-preparing reagents, thereby conserving materials but also time.

Furthermore, optimizing pipetting sequences and implementing master-mix preparations streamline experimental workflows, benefiting both research efficiency and sustainability.

Finally,, regeneration of nucleic acid extraction columns is often possible and is a great example for how underfunded laboratories are often automatically more sustainable.

4. Optimize where nobody else is:

Rethinking conventional practices will identify opportunities for higher experimental efficiency and therefore more sustainable practice. Think about equipment settings, like increasing PCR-cycler holding temperatures. In case you want (or need) to keep them at 4 degree, try to avoid running them overnight.

When working with HPLCs, become aware of alternative eluents to ACN such as EtOH or even water. Although they might not work for all experiments, in some cases they can increase performance and reduce running times while being less environmentally hazardous.

When doing Flow Cytometry, try to only prepare as much cell suspension as you need. Every mL that you produce will be autoclaved and end up on a landfill or be burned. Also, try to be diligent with your fluorophore reference controls. Robust and valid data is the most sustainable data because you do not need to repeat experiments unnecessarily often.

5. Look beyond the fancy practices:

Rarely noticed yet impactful – simple actions like closing the sash of fume hoods and sterile work benches can save a lot of energy. Yes, you might come back in the afternoon, but the 2 minutes shutting the sash can save electricity worth thousands of dollars (see this publication or examples of the Western Washington University or Washington university of St. Loius)

You might have heard about changing your freezer temperatures from -80 to -70 to reduce energy consumption by about one third… Although some colleagues might be sceptic, start with a single freezer to show everyone that it is not impairing your samples. In fact, a few years ago -70 was the standard temperature – but then someone needed new selling arguments (?). Furthermore, employ covers for water baths reduce energy consumption.

Finally, when you have some recycling bins in your lab, make sure to throw items like caps of tubes that you never use or items that merely touched water or Tris-buffer into those instead of the nearby biohazardous waste.

Of course, if you like to learn some more advanced feel free to follow us and come to our events. Nevertheless, by integrating these simple sustainable practices into our scientific endeavors, we not only contribute to environmental preservation but also enhance the efficiency and integrity of our research.

We discussed in our educational lesson lately how to identify opportunities (if you want to see it – if you want to join). However, in essence, it is really simple.

It is all about you having an open mind when doing your research. This is all it needs to be more sustainable!