Bronze LEAF Awards 2023
Bronze LEAF Awards 2023
On 26 October a celebration was held in the Joseph Priestley South Building, where 10 Laboratories from the School of Applied Sciences were presented with a Bronze LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) Award, by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Thornton.
This achievement adds to the 8 labs which completed the Bronze Award last year. Moving forwards the School of Applied Sciences (SAS) will be aiming for Bronze status across the board.
Due to the nature of the equipment required to undertake scientific work, laboratories use large quantities of energy. In comparison to every square metre of office space, a laboratory will use 3- 10 times more energy and can also generate a large amount of plastic waste. By taking part in the LEAF programme each laboratory is taking the necessary steps and making the commitment to help reduce its carbon emissions and improve the laboratory’s environment for quality research.
Headed by the Technical Services Manager, Dr Natasha Reed, and supported by the Sustainability Team, each laboratory was led by a designated LEAF Coordinator from the SAS Technical Team and rose to the challenge of completing the 16 criteria of the Bronze standard.
This consisted of making various changes to working practices to improve the efficiency of the lab such as inducting new lab members to best lab practices, improving waste streams and the cataloguing, and sharing of materials and chemicals. Behavioural changes were made in labs to ensure all equipment is maintained and utilised efficiently such as changing filters regularly, closing fume hoods and switching off energy heavy equipment when not in use.
Each laboratory assigned a Sustainability champion to introduce the changes and maintain the changes that have been implemented. A baseline was set at the beginning of the process and measured for improvement, evidence was then uploaded to an online LEAF portal, before ending with a peer audit of each other’s labs.
Many of the laboratories which have achieved the Bronze status plan to progress onto the Silver award over the next twelve months. It will be a challenging step, but a fantastic move forward for the School of Applied Sciences to develop further in its sustainable laboratory journey.
The LEAF Award will be introduced to other laboratories in different Schools very soon. The standard is an important part of the University's journey to becoming Net Zero.
