Laboratories of UZH

Work in laboratories contributes significantly to the environmental impact of the University of Zurich, primarily due to large amounts of waste and high energy consumption. Therefore, it is important for laboratory users to become aware of the negative impacts on the environment and climate and seek sustainable solutions. This can help reduce the ecological footprint of the laboratories.

The Greenlab Zurich Group is an initiative by students, doctoral candidates, postdocs, and group leaders from the UZH and ETHZ. They exchange ideas on sustainability in laboratories and aim to strengthen this topic within research groups, institutes, and universities. Since its founding in 2021, the group has contributed to raising awareness of the issue – through numerous lectures at institute events, flyers with examples of measures, a newsletter, and a sustainability challenge for laboratories. The Greenlab Zurich Group works closely with the sustainability offices of UZH and ETHZ, as well as the Swiss Network for Green Labs.
to Greenlab zurich group

The certification program Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), developed by University College London, allows laboratory staff to evaluate their operations for sustainability using a questionnaire. LEAF was introduced at UZH by the Greenlab Zurich Group, with support from the Sustainability Hub and the Make Irchel More Sustainable Grant. By participating in LEAF, laboratory staff can learn about measures to make their daily work more sustainable. An accompanying tool calculates the savings in greenhouse gas emissions and costs.

Participation in LEAF provides UZH with important data on the effectiveness of energy-saving measures. There is particularly great potential with the approximately 500 ultra-low temperature freezers. Their energy consumption can be reduced by 28 percent, for example, by adjusting the temperature from –80 degrees Celsius to –70 degrees Celsius, disposing of unusable samples, and regularly defrosting them. Replacing inefficient equipment could save up to 50 percent of energy in some cases.
About the LEAF Program at the University of Zurich

At UZH, many plastic products are used in research, including pipette boxes. These are typically used as packaging and dispensers. Many of them are reused, which is sustainable, but unfortunately, this is not always possible. Dedicated staff from the Material Center have implemented a project where unused pipette boxes are collected and shredded by an external company. A recycling company then manufactures new products from the shredded material, which are offered for sale again in the UZH material shop. In addition to environmental protection, the project focused on building trust in recycling processes. You can see in the video below how the non-reusable boxes are recycled and transformed into new products.

The project Reusing Plastic Disposables: Automated Pipette Tip Washing (TipWash) explores the potential of reusing pipette tips to make laboratory work more sustainable and cost-effective, using UZH as a real-world laboratory.
more about this project