Sustainability in the day-to-day life of a lab
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in laboratories too, and not just from an environmental perspective—economic and social aspects are also key. The work that we do in our labs is vital for research but also consumes a lot of energy and resources. We are therefore committed to handling resources responsibly in the laboratory and injecting more sustainability into our daily routine in a bid to minimize environmental pollution and raise awareness of sustainability.
LEAF: Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework
Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) is a standard set by University College London that aims to increase efficiency and sustainability in the day-to-day running of laboratories by certifying them based on various categories of sustainable working (bronze, silver, gold).
The University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn successfully piloted LEAF in 2025. If you are interested in driving forward sustainability in your lab as well, feel free to contact us and join LEAF!
Advanced training sessions
In 2025, the first training series on the topic of ‘Sustainability in the Laboratory’ took place. Among other things, the following topics were addressed:"
- Managing Waste, Samples and Chemicals
- Managing Waste, Samples and Chemicals
- Purchasing/Procurement and Equipment
- Research Quality and IT
- Ventilation, Water, Etc.
The sessions were open to anyone interested.
Those who would like to learn more about the topics or refresh the knowledge they acquired can request the documentation of the trainings by contacting nachhaltige-lehre@uni-bonn.de
The advanced training sessions are being funded from the sustainability funding pot and run by the sustainability consultants NIUB.
