Labs in the School of Natural Sciences awarded LEAF Lab accreditation for sustainability standards

The work of staff in the School of Natural Sciences to reduce the environmental impact of lab research has been recognised with LEAF Lab accreditation for four of its labs.

The School now participates in the LEAF labs programme, which focuses on efforts by wet labs (i.e. those that use chemicals) to become more environmentally sustainable. To achieve certification, participants are expected to complete actions to meet different criteria under several categories. Depending on how many criteria are met, participants may be awarded either a bronze, silver or gold certificate, with regular re-auditing to ensure standards maintain the certification.

In the first round of certifications, four wet labs met the standards and received their bronze certifications. The Rosalind Franklin Lab was the first one audited with support from the LEAF team at UCL, as part of ongoing internal auditor training, and it received excellent feedback on its new sustainability initiatives, including a request to use some of its actions as examples for other universities. The three other wet labs in Natural Sciences to achieve certification are: Lab 309, the Wolfson/Mycobacteria Research Lab and the Rayne and Wolfson Lab.

Katherine Thompson, Head of Natural Sciences, said: "I’m thrilled that four of our research labs have successfully achieved Bronze LEAF accreditation. These awards are a testament to the dedication and effort our staff have invested this year to implement meaningful changes that enhance our practices and reduce the environmental impact of our research.”

The School plans to build on this success to achieve silver certification for these labs.