The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices

Researchers across the planet play a key role in enhancing the energy-, feedstock- and material-transition necessary to allow for circularity and thus mitigation of the climate crisis. Their contribution, education and skills are necessary to develop a sustainable future by meeting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Scientific research is also vital for climate awareness and solutions, however, it paradoxically contributes to environmental issues through traditional laboratory practices. Operating laboratories and conducting experiments leads to excessive energy consumption, (hazardous) waste generation, and resource depletion. With this perspective, we want to provide and spark quality education among scientists on how to improve as a community on research and laboratory operations (SDG No. 4). We provide institutional evidence and advice on a systemic change in academia, industry and (procurement) infrastructure to allow for responsible consumption (SDGs No. 9, 12).

Full citation: Freese, T., Elzinga, N., Heinemann, M., Lerch, M. M., & Feringa, B. L. (2024). The relevance of sustainable laboratory practices. RSC Sustainability, 2(5), 1300–1336. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00056K [open access]