{"id":20367,"date":"2026-03-30T09:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/sustainability\/?p=20367"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T09:06:16","slug":"embl-sustainability-measures-march-forward-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/sustainability\/embl-sustainability-measures-march-forward-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"EMBL sustainability measures march forward in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sustainability work at EMBL in 2025 is best summarised as making important progress at every level. Guided by our \u2018Molecules to Ecosystems\u2019 programme and a collective drive to transition toward a more sustainable organisation, we have achieved significant milestones across our three pillars: doing environmentally responsible research, doing environmentally relevant research, and promoting sustainable science.
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Minimising our environmental impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we continue to push to achieve our target of a 50% reduction in our energy based and business travel emissions by 50% by 2030 (compared to 2019), we have hit the halfway mark and achieved a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions from energy use<\/strong> (Scope 1 and 2) in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our commitment to promoting greener travel and video conferencing has also transformed our approach to travel. By embracing hybrid collaboration and promoting lower-carbon alternatives, we have successfully reduced our business travel footprint by 29%<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025 we continued to introduce new waste \u2018streams, primarily through office-based recycling and a dedicated waste stream for the many culture media bottles . Our dedicated recycling streams for pipette tip boxes have now diverted 8 tonnes of pipette tip boxes<\/strong> from incineration to local recycling plants, demonstrating how small, daily changes in the lab can lead to massive collective impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dedicated tip box recycling scheme. We have recycle over 8 tonnes of tip boxes since 2023. Credit: Stuart Ingham\/EMBL.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gold Standards in the Lab<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) has become the heartbeat of our green lab movement across our sites. In 2025, the dedication of our research groups reached a new peak, with 20 labs awarded Gold certificates<\/strong>; 23 Silver;<\/strong> and 21 Bronze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grenoble became our first site to achieve a Gold award, a recognition of the strong and widespread culture of \u201cwanting to do the right thing<\/em>\u201d when it comes to reducing the environmental impact of research and laboratory work in Grenoble.
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This achievement reflects the strong commitment of our Unit and the power of effective teamwork of unit staff in integrating sustainability into daily research practice. At EMBL Grenoble, we believe that scientific excellence goes hand in hand with responsible resource use, and and this award highlights how our collective effort can drive meaningful change.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote> <\/div>\n \n