Geography Laboratories awarded Gold LEAF certification for sustainability and efficiency action
The University of Manchester青瓜视频檚 Geography Laboratories have been certified as operating to a Gold standard in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF).
The University is committed to environmental sustainability goals as set out in the Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2023-2028. This includes driving efficiencies across our laboratory spaces, and one way we measure this is through the .
Followed by 85 global institutions, LEAF is a standard established by UCL to improve the sustainability and efficiency of laboratories. Assessment is across five categories: waste, people, sample and chemical management, equipment and ventilation. Institutions can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold certification depending on how many sustainability actions they take.
青瓜视频淎s a Geography lab, where much of our work is environmental study, we feel it青瓜视频檚 important to lead by example in respect of efficiency and environmental impact青瓜视频� commented Jon Yarwood, Geography Laboratory Technician. 青瓜视频淭hrough the audit we青瓜视频檝e worked through our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to see where we can improve our reduction, reuse and recycling of chemicals and equipment and tested methods where we felt it could be appropriate, and in turn we青瓜视频檝e found where we can improve efficiency of processes青瓜视频�.
Sustainability has also been a key consideration for equipment choices and supplier selection in the Geography Lab, and environmentally conscious users also play an important role. 青瓜视频淲e青瓜视频檙e fortunate to have very environmentally aware users who often discuss where they feel methods might feel particularly wasteful. They are very engaged with the lab induction and SOP training when it comes to good lab practice, such as in the use of fume hoods and waste disposal streams, and by asking questions about the possibility of re-use and recycling. Through these and interactions through the TEaM [Technical Excellence at Manchester] network, we青瓜视频檝e also found ways we can improve青瓜视频�, said Jon.
This is a fantastic achievement, building on work around environmental sustainability that colleagues in the lab were already doing before LEAF. The University of Manchester青瓜视频檚 aim is for all its laboratories to achieve a LEAF award (minimum Bronze, with a target of 25% achieving Silver) and adopt the 6R 青瓜视频渞esponsible plastics protocol青瓜视频� by August 2025. Jon and the team are leading the way and we青瓜视频檙e very proud of their work.