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University of Bristol’s 900 laboratories receive green status in world first

13 July 2021

The University of Bristol has become the first University in the world to achieve institutional Green Labs certification – this is an incredible achievement for the University and the wider STEM community.

The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) Programme was launched at the University to improve the sustainability and efficiency of laboratories. LEAF also plays an important role in supporting the university’s commitment to net-zero by 2030 by reducing carbon emissions associated with laboratory-based activities. Each of the 990 laboratories at the University have gained certification through the LEAF programme. 

In the School of Physics, 143 labs were certified which accounts for approximately 3670.24m2 of space. This would not have been possible without close collaboration with technical staff and lab users so we would like to express our most sincere gratitude for their efforts. 

There are clear environmental and financial benefits in choosing to be more sustainable in laboratories. The journey towards institutional Green Lab certification has reminded us how sustainability-minded the university’s STEM community is and we are incredibly excited for more Sustainable Science and future Green Labs plans. LEAF 2021, an updated version of the LEAF certification, has recently been launched and staff plan to utilise it to continue reducing the environmental impact of laboratories going forward. 

Read the full news article for more information. 

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