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To quote Sir David Attenborough, “anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist”. I assume, dear reader, that you areneither,but I shall leave that for you to decide.

There isalwaysadrive to review how our laboratories can work efficiently whilst exerting less negative impact on our environment.This articlesuggests10 ways in which your laboratorycouldeasily and innovatively improve your sustainability and reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Take advantage ofsuppliers who offerconsumable recycling schemes

How wasteisdisposed of by a laboratorycan bea significant indicator of its performance in terms of sustainability.亚搏体育安卓area licensed waste carrier andoffer recycling of pipette tip racking and are developing a nitrile glove recycling solution. These schemes aretest-piloted first to obtain real customer feedback – weeveninclude thecollection ofother manufacturersitems alongsideAppleton products!

2. Reduceincubator space usage

CorningHYPERFlaskshave10 interconnected cell growth surfaces,allowingfor 10-fold greater cell yield over traditional 175 cm²flasks.Similarly,CellSTACKsallow for the growth of cells, both attached to a surface or in suspension, in large numbers without the addition of equipment for scaling up the process.Both can becoated with CorningCellBind®for optimal cell attachment, which isstable at room temperature and requiresno refrigeration.

They allowlarge cell linestobe processed and analysed with higher throughput and reduced space usage.This reducesprocessing time andtheincubatorspaceneeded, using less energyand overall greater productivity.

3. Switch toreusable face masks

Given the current global crisis, face masks/coverings have become a part of our daily routine (key, wallet…mask!). Single-use face masks, therefore, have become large contributors to PPE waste. In place of these, personal, reusable facemasks,could be a more sustainable alternativewhere possible. If yourresearch is based at a University thesemay even beprovided for free!

4.Purchaseproducts thatutiliserecyclablepackaging

We know some keyfactorsgointo what brand of products to purchase and who to purchase them from.Mainly cost, reliability of stock(in a non-Covid world!) and the levelofcommunicationwith the supplier.However, another considerationmight bethe ability for the product and its accessories to be recycled. For example, theAppleton Centrifuge Tubesare available with cardboard racking and the new range of AppletonTips will have cardboard re-load racks, reducing plastic waste byup to70%.

5. Reduce theamount of plastic incinerated

Agood optionfor laboratory waste disposal is theEconixBio-bins, which can beusedbothbench-top or floorstandingandare provided in different colours according to the waste type.One of thekeybenefits of these disposal containersare that they are constructed from 96% paper and do not need bin-bags, meaning aconsiderable reduction the amount of plastic incinerated.

6.Equip yourselves forreducedCO2emissions

As well asconsumableuse and recycling, one thing toconsiderishow toreduce the energy demands ofour equipment.Even simple things likeswitching off equipment that is not being used and closing thefront panelon safety cabinetscan have a bigger impact than you might think!

7. Reduce energy usage withgreener equipment

Lots of equipment is now manufactured with sustainability in mind! For example,FASTERcabinetsaremanufactured from92% recycled material. This cabinet also features anECS® microprocessor which self-regulates all the main filtration and ventilation system components to optimise power consumption and reduce CO2.Plus, theFASTER factoryinFerrara,Italyisfully powered bymore than 1,000solar panelson the roof of the building!Read more here!

8.Shrinking downyourequipmentto reduce energy use

It is important to considerhow many samples are analysed in the laboratoryon a daily basis.Smaller benchtop equipment uses less energy to run than their larger counterparts!For example,have you consideredusingmini benchtopDry baths,orsmallerbenchtop Centrifugesfor experiments with smaller sample replicates?

9. Utilising moreeco-friendlyreagentkits

You can even look to improve the green credentials of your reagents!A great examplebeing theBioechoEchoLUTIONkitsforDNAsample preparation and DNA/RNAsample processing.The key features of which include:

• Use ofsustainable/eco-friendly laboratory processing

• Avoidanceofhazardous reagents

• 70% reduction in plastic-based kit componentscompared to traditional silica kits

• Plastic-free kit packaging

• Storage at room temperature

With all these benefits and the fact that the protocols for theBioEchorange are much quicker than competing products on the market, choosing to use this product isa no-brainerfor any molecular biologist!

10.Try taking the competitive edge– Reduce, Re-use, Recycle!

Aswe’ve alreadymentioned, switching off equipment and shutting fume hoodsare simple wayto reduce the carbon footprint of your laboratory.Particularly as they use copious amounts of energy everyday (more than it takes to run a household!).However simple, we can all admit that these things are often neglected. But there is nothing humans, love more than a challenge and a chance for a prize!Why not compete again other departments or even other institutions to become superior energy savers?!

These are some of our ideas, let us know ways your lab has worked to reduce, re-use, recycle!