Take action to make sustainable labs a reality

How can laboratories cut resource use, reduce carbon emissions and embed sustainable research practices? We’ve found a way through several strategies, including waste-reduction initiatives, circular economy programmes and practical sustainability guidance.

We’ve committed to an ambitious target for all our 150-plus eligible laboratories to achieve gold ratings on the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (Leaf) by 2031. Progress towards this is one of six sustainability success measures for our strategic framework, Liverpool 2031. It also supports delivery of wider objectives set out in our sustainability strategy, such as net zero and waste reduction.

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In April 2024, we became early signatories to the sector-wide Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. Our pursuit of sustainable labs and lab practices supports several of the concordat’s priority areas for delivery, including leadership and system change, sustainable infrastructure and sustainable procurement. Leaf has also enhanced and improved our sustainability data, supporting better environmental reporting.

With several research funding bodies now requiring the laboratories they fund to have a Leaf accreditation or equivalent, it is important that, as a university, we provide labs with the tools and support they require to carry out Leaf.

Progress to date

Our laboratories have enthusiastically taken up the challenge since we launched Leaf in 2021. Currently, 42 per cent of them have achieved bronze status, 42 per cent silver and 16 per cent gold, with many improving their award level in the past year alone.

Case studies

One of our labs has reported a 90 per cent reduction in waste produced by making the switch from single-use polystyrene vials to glass vials. Each year, they had been using, autoclaving and then discarding more than 200,000 vials and cotton balls, which equates to 1,300kg of plastic and 240kg of cotton wool. After trialling the use of the glass vials, they purchased a washer, reusable glass vials and bung closures that can be washed and reused indefinitely.

How has this benefited the lab? It’s eliminated emissions from the production and transport of the boxes of single-use plastic vials and cotton wool, from about 10 to 12 deliveries a year to none; it’s abolished packaging waste from deliveries of disposable plastic vials and cotton wool, which could be more than 360 cardboard boxes and 2,000 plastic bags; and it’s reduced waste and emissions associated with autoclaving vials – an estimated 1,700 autoclave bags were used for disposal per year.

One of our clinical skills laboratories has developed and launched a reuse programme called ScrubCycle, which is designed to reduce textile waste associated with clinical placement scrubs. Previously, students were issued five sets of scrubs; any additional sets were purchased individually, resulting in unnecessary waste and over-ordering.

Through ScrubCycle, final-year students approaching graduation were invited to donate any clean, good-quality scrubs they no longer needed. Scrubs are now made available for current students to borrow or keep for as long as required, significantly reducing the need to buy new items and promoting a circular, resource-efficient approach.

Circular economy

Over the past year, we have also implemented and streamlined several circular economy processes that have made a significant impact on laboratories and the wider university.

The reuse platform Warp It, which was implemented in February 2025, helps staff and students to redistribute surplus furniture, equipment, stationery and consumables. In its first 12 months, Warp It has saved 39 tonnes of waste, 149 tonnes of CO2e and £326,720.

We also use UniGreen Scheme, an external resale and reuse platform for surplus laboratory equipment. Rather than ad hoc, we now have central monitoring of equipment collection, resale and value recovery, with collection dates pre-arranged. In the 2024-25 academic year, 26 surplus items were collected, 44 items were sold, £20,000 net financial benefit was made, 2.6 tonnes of waste were avoided and 9.3 tonnes of CO2e were saved.

Finally, in December 2025, we launched our sustainable laboratories guidance. The aim of the guide is to support more sustainable laboratory practices by providing practical information on how to minimise the use of resources such as consumables, energy and water. Our circular economy solutions are also discussed, as well as tips on procurement, resource use and experimental design. This guide also links out to more detailed guidance available.

In the guide, it’s noted that not all the suggestions made can be adopted in all areas, while pointing out that health and safety, and the quality of research output, needs to be a priority. The sustainable laboratories guide can be found here.

Top tips for implementing Leaf

• Appoint a dedicated coordinator. Having a member of staff responsible for coordinating and supporting the Leaf programme has been instrumental to its successful implementation at the University of Liverpool.
• Build strong networks and identify champions. Developing strong relationships across faculties and identifying sustainability champions within laboratory teams can significantly improve engagement and support a smooth, effective roll-out.
• Start sustainability conversations early. Introduce sustainability and Leaf principles during the induction of new team members, and encourage everyone in the laboratory to contribute ideas and suggestions for improvement.
• Embed sustainability into everyday laboratory practices. Making sustainability part of routine laboratory activities encourages staff and students to consider the impact of their actions. Even small changes, when adopted collectively, can make a significant difference.

Jenna Lowe is laboratory sustainability officer at the University of Liverpool.

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