Concept Life Sciences earns Platinum award from My Green Lab

Written by Nicole Warren, Chemistry Team leader

Our Sustainability team had a mission to help make the industry greener; we've now been awarded Platinum status from My Green Lab

The chemical industry is resource intensive, using 10X more energy and 4X more water than an average office space. Records show that 2024 was the hottest year on record globally and the first year to exceed a 1.5 °C increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels … there is a need to make our industry greener. Although the statistics can be disheartening, there are a lot of changes that can be made to create a big impact.

This was the Concept Life Sciences Sustainability team’s mission at the start of 2024, and we are delighted that we have just been accredited with platinum status by My Green Lab for the work we have been doing to make our labs at Chapel-en-le-Frith more sustainable.

My Green Lab is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is build a global community of sustainability in science. Certification from My Green Lab is considered the gold standard for laboratory sustainability best practices around the world. The process looks all aspects of the lab environment from energy and water use to purchasing, cold storage and recycling.

Small changes can make a big impact

To improve sustainability in the labs, we tackled numerous areas. For example, fume hoods are the most energy intensive pieces of kit we have; to improve habits and get chemists closing hoods when they aren’t in use, we ran a “Shut the Sash” competition between our labs. This has had a lasting impact, improving the chemists’ habits long term. We also used energy monitors to determine which pieces of equipment are the most energy intensive, and have taken steps to reduce them being left on for longer than required, and explored other ways to reduce their energy consumption. We also undertook the Freezer Challenge in 2024 to ensure our freezers run as efficiently as possible.

Put together, little things like turning your PC and monitors off every night, and closing your fume hood every time you walk away, help reduce the impact of our industry on our world.

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