Sustainability in the lab: Progress, opportunities, and the path forward

In the past, life science laboratories have operated with a sustainability blind spot, generating substantial waste (particularly from single-use plastics) and energy consumption while largely avoiding the same level of scrutiny faced by other industries. This relative immunity has stemmed from the critical nature of research, driving scientific discovery and advancing human health.

However, with increased awareness and external sustainability targets set by funding bodies and big pharma, labs are now increasingly held accountable for their environmental footprint. The additional challenge comes in balancing greener practices while maintaining the throughput and scientific integrity demanded by modern research.

In the recent Labtech Unplugged podcast series, SPT Labtech sat down with members of the life sciences community to hear their perspectives on this shifting landscape and their unique approaches to improving sustainability.

Here, SPT Labtech summarizes the key learnings from these conversations, highlighting the progress made so far, ongoing challenges, and what is needed to drive long-term sustainable change. If you would like to learn more, all podcast episodes are available to listen to on demand.

The unavoidable impact of single-use plastics

One of the biggest issues facing sustainability in the lab is single-use plastics. From pipette tips to reagent containers, disposable plastics are deeply embedded in research workflows. While sometimes necessary for ensuring sterility and preventing cross-contamination, their widespread use in labs worldwide contributes to over 5.5 million tonnes of plastics waste each year.

Washing and reusing plastic consumables

Washing and reusing plastic consumables is one promising solution that has already proved effective in many laboratory settings. Grenova, a US-based biotech firm pioneering sustainable solutions for life sciences, has developed innovative decontamination technologies that allow consumables, such as pipette tips, to be safely cleaned and reused multiple times. In partnership with Rho Impact, Grenova has developed an impact calculator that allows labs to quantify the environmental benefits of reducing plastic waste through this method.

Many research applications including general wet lab research, drug discovery, and assay screening, can feasibly reuse consumables without compromising scientific integrity. However, there are some areas where single-use remains necessary due to the sizeable risk of contamination. For instance in genomics and clinical diagnostics, even a single molecule of DNA contamination can wreak havoc in the lab, and so single-use plastics remain critical for now.

Less plastics usage means less plastics waste

Another effective approach is to reduce the volume of plastic used in the first place, by challenging habits in the lab with new technologies and workflows.

The team at seqWell have developed simplified next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation protocols that require significantly fewer plastic pipette tips. As a result, a traditional 96-well plate experiment can be performed in a single tube. This reduction is particularly impactful in the synthetic biology space, where researchers need to generate lots of data quickly to feed into iterative development processes. At such high-throughput, these plastics savings quickly add up to very significant volumes.

Another way that scientists and engineers are challenging the status quo is through innovative pipetting technology. SPT Labtech’s dragonfly^® discovery replaces traditional pipetting with non-contact syringes that can bulk dispense the same reagent across multiple plates, with no risk of cross-contamination. A handful of dragonfly syringes can replace the need for multiple boxes of pipette tips, leading to huge reductions in plastic waste.

For non-bulk dispensing, SPT Labtech’s mosquito^® liquid handler replaces traditional 96 or 384-array pipette tip formats with a densely packed spool of micropipettes. A single spool containing 26,000 individual micropipettes is equivalent to 271 tip boxes of 96-array tips, representing a reduction in plastics weight by over 97%.

Implementing successful lab-wide sustainability initiatives

When implementing sustainability initiatives, it is important to set up for long-term success. Labtech Unplugged guests were in agreement that a systematic approach, making small but consistent changes to habits and behaviors, is the best way to ensure a sustained positive impact.

Building a culture of sustainability

Synthace, experts in transforming biological experiments, has successfully implemented sustainability initiatives by securing buy-in from the entire team, and leveraging external certification programs to provide structured sustainability goals. Digital software tools also proved helpful in managing lab-wide changes, such as equipment booking software to minimize redundant instrument usage and reduce energy consumption.

For anyone unsure on where to start, sustainability consultants like Kerstin Hermuth-Kleinschmidt provide guidance and support to academic and commercial labs alike. Kerstin uses a comprehensive eco-mapping approach, assessing seven key areas: energy, water, chemicals, consumables, emissions, waste, and lab safety. Seeing quick wins across these areas helps in building the commitment and collaboration that prove so valuable in driving long-term impactful changes.

Small wins, big impact

Small incremental changes can yield big impact. Simple adjustments like switching off idle instruments, changing the freezer temperature from –80°C to –70°C, and closing the sash on an unused fume hood, are all starting points accessible to every lab. When these changes are made consistently, we can substantially reduce our waste and energy consumption.

External certifications provide structure and community

My Green Lab^® has been an instrumental figurehead in life science sustainability, providing frameworks and certifications that have helped to drive industry-wide cultural shifts. Its portfolio addresses key aspects of life in the lab, building awareness and providing education at every level. The My Green Lab Certification has become a global standard for best practices, and has even been recognized by the UN’s Race to Zero campaign, with a goal of reaching 95% adoption across biotech and pharma by 2030.

In addition, My Green Lab has built a growing community of sustainability-conscious scientists through its Ambassador Program, a free online initiative with over 7,500 members worldwide. It is a great place to start for anyone looking to get involved in lab sustainability.

Future outlook

It is clear that while progress has been made, there are still challenges to overcome. The life science industry must continue to push for innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. Importantly, sustainability is not solely the responsibility of large organizations or regulatory bodies, it is a shared commitment that all scientists can support. By breaking habitual thinking and making small, manageable changes, we can all play our role in building a more sustainable future.