During the spring, staff at the Divisions of Systems Biology and Industrial Biotechnology at the Department of Life Sciences have worked systematically to reduce climate impact and resource consumption in their wet laboratories. These efforts have now resulted in a certification within the international programme LEAF – Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework.
“It feels fantastic that we have now been certified. The idea originated one year ago when we started our sustainability group and began discussing how we could work more sustainably in our labs”, says Emelie Lindquist, Senior Research Engineer at Systems Biology, who has led the work.
Concrete measures in daily work
Chalmers joined LEAF in autumn 2025. The programme is specifically developed for this type of laboratory environment and provides support in the form of checklists and guidance.
The work was organised collaboratively within the sustainability group.
“We divided the tasks among us and reviewed a total of 18 criteria. This included improving organisation, clarifying which power switches can be turned off, and reducing the use of disposable materials, for example,” say representatives of the group.
Small changes with significant impact
A total of around 85 people work at the divisions, about 50 of whom are active in the laboratories. An important part of the process has been to raise awareness and engage more people in the effort.
An internal forum has been set up to share ideas, and the group has also communicated regularly through newsletters to make it possible to follow the progress of the work.
“We were surprised by how much we were already doing without realising it, and how small adjustments could lead to significant results”, the group adds.
The certification is at bronze level, and the sustainability group continues its work to further develop practices and share knowledge within the organisation.
- Senior Research Engineer, Systems Biology, Life Sciences