“Only an urgent, system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster,” is the key message from the United Nation’s Emission Gap Report 2022. Since COP26 (held in 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland) and COP27 (held in 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt), experts have announced that a rapid, sustained reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 45% is crucial if we are to achieve the Paris Agreement goals.1,2
At Agilent, we take this mission seriously; it is imperative that we do our utmost to protect our planet by reducing our environmental footprint wherever possible. That’s why the Agilent Center of Excellence (CoE) laboratory in Cheadle, UK stepped up to the challenge of going greener through the My Green Lab Certification program.
About the My Green Lab Certification program
Considered as the gold standard in laboratory sustainability practices, the My Green Lab Certification program enables labs to transform their day-to-day operations where possible by identifying improvement areas then implementing more environmentally friendly practices into those areas. By introducing sustainable practices, laboratories have an opportunity to preserve resources while saving overhead costs.
Earning the “green” status at the Cheadle CoE laboratory
The journey toward becoming My Green Lab certified began in the spring of 2022, where an initial survey was conducted to assess how environmentally friendly the CoE lab in Cheadle was at the start of the process.
The lab received an initial score of 39%. However, by the end of the assessment, this score increased by 42% to achieve an overall score of 81%, securing the highest status— “green.”
“My Green Lab is an important and worthwhile certification. It brought to our attention better practices and greener ways to work in our laboratories,” commented Marcus Chadha, PhD, lab manager at the Cheadle CoE lab.
He added, “There was lots of hard work and planning involved to significantly increase our scores. We are very proud of achieving a ‘green’ status, and we are already actioning further greener practices so we can continuously improve our scoring at future assessments. The hard work starts here!”
Nathan Sirett, senior programs manager at My Green Lab, virtually awarded the Cheadle CoE lab team with their “green” certification status. “The Cheadle CoE laboratory team's efforts toward this certification underscores their commitment to sustainable laboratory practices. Through this process, they have not only reduced their environmental impact in a number of categories but also improved their operational efficiency. Their involvement in the My Green Lab Certification and their achievement of a ‘green’ certification level is a prime example of leadership in lab sustainability, setting a standard for others to emulate. I congratulate them on their remarkable success,” remarked Nathan.
Bolstering sustainability practices
In achieving its “green” status, the Cheadle CoE lab was able to bolster its environmental sustainability practices through:
Reducing the lab’s gas supply of argon and nitrogen from two deliveries per week to one
Reducing the use of electricity by switching off instruments, lights, and computers when not in use
Improving the recycling of cardboard and plastics
Reducing solvent waste; for example, making 500 mL of solvents instead of 1 L
A sustainability journey to support our customers
Being able to demonstrate the use of sustainable lab solutions and practices are of high importance to Agilent customers. In fact, it is often a prioritized decision factor in terms of the customers’ tender process.
In a recent global lab sustainability survey, it was found that 85% of labs expect their vendors to support them in reaching their sustainability goals, now and in the future. Furthermore, 74% of labs stated that it would be an exclusion criterion for them to commercially engage with a company that did not have a commitment to net zero.3
Enabling our customers to bring great science to life is what we do best at Agilent. Our advanced solutions, trusted partnership with My Green Lab, and commitment to net zero all ensure that our customers are supported in ways that help them achieve quality results while protecting our planet.
The sustainable road ahead
Moving forward, the Cheadle CoE laboratory is striving to implement additional greener practices, including sourcing laboratory supplies and consumables from greener companies, extending the recycling program, and proposing new initiatives for greener commuting to the site.
Agilent is fully committed to improving the sustainability of all our processes. Our new “green” certification at the Cheadle CoE laboratory will only motivate us to maintain our current sustainable practices and continue exploring greener ways of working.
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