Three ISGlobal Laboratories Achieve Bronze Distinction in the LEAF Programme for Sustainable Laboratories

The AirLab, CEK and John Snow laboratories of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) have been awarded the Bronze category of the LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) programme, in recognition of the exemplary actions taken by these centres to improve sustainability practices.

This milestone is part of ISGlobal’s Strategy on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2020-2030, which provides a framework for integrating the SDGs into all of ISGlobal's actions and policies, thereby contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The LEAF programme, run by University College London in partnership with other academic institutions, provides advice on how to implement changes to improve environmental sustainability in the day-to-day work of laboratories, in areas such as energy, waste and research quality. Based on the programme's advice, researchers organise themselves and decide how to implement best practices according to their specific needs.

The initiative allows participating laboratories to achieve three possible categories: bronze, silver and gold. Each category involves meeting 16 criteria in addition to those of the previous category, covering aspects such as waste management, efficient use of IT equipment, sustainable procurement management, handling of samples or chemical reagents and the establishment of common protocols.

"The LEAF Bronze Award demonstrates ISGlobal's commitment to environmental sustainability and how the integration of sustainable practices can be an effective tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This recognition demonstrates the importance of working together to implement significant changes in laboratory management and promote a culture of sustainability in science," says Denise Naniche, ISGlobal's Scientific Director.

Working together to make laboratories more sustainable

ISGlobal set up a permanent working group of staff from the three participating laboratories who met regularly to share ideas and protocols for addressing the 16 criteria of the Bronze category.

Depending on the characteristics and size of each laboratory, measures have been implemented such as improving the signage of different types of waste, ensuring the correct functioning of equipment to improve energy efficiency, or correctly labelling and coding all samples and reagents according to their inventory, among others.

The working group has jointly developed a Welcome and Farewell Manual to facilitate the exchange of information on the use of the laboratories. In addition, a short guide on how to consider sustainability criteria when purchasing materials for the laboratories has been developed. 

The team will continue to meet regularly to keep the manual up to date and to begin assessing the criteria needed to achieve Silver status.