LEAF

The goal of our LinkedIn is to share updates on the LEAF Programme and guidance on how to make your research more sustainable, including sharing examples of labs across the world taking action - through LEAF and beyond. About Laboratory-based research is essential for advancing society but it is also extremely energy and resource intensive. It’s estimated that laboratories are responsible for around 2% of global plastic waste and use 3-10 times more energy per meter squared than a typical office. The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), developed at and managed by University College London (UCL) UK, offers a straightforward, effective method to optimise lab operations, reducing environmental impact whilst maintaining research quality. By participating in the LEAF programme, LEAF teams complete a set of criteria and can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold level certification, continually improving and integrating sustainability into their daily practices. LEAF teams can also see the impact of their actions through calculators showing their carbon and financial savings. All LEAF certificates are assessed by an in-person audit and comprehensive training ensures audits meet the ISO:19011 standard, are consistent between organisations and gives staff the confidence and knowledge to audit others – we can also facilitate inter-organisational auditing. LEAF’s Impact speaks for itself! Our pilot in 2018-2020 was run across 23 institutions and 230 laboratory groups, with a reported average savings of £3,700 and 2.9 tCO2e per group. Access to the LEAF platform is through an annual subscription available to publicly funded organisations such as Universities and Research Institutes across the world. To find out more about joining the 140+ organisations taking part, visit our website below or email us at LEAF@ucl.ac.uk LEAF is a not for profit programme run by UCL.