The sustainable lab accreditation scheme is being rolled out across campus, marking a vital step towards achieving Surrey’s ambitious net zero carbon plan. The roll out illustrates the University’s commitment to the UKRI concordant for environmental sustainability.

LEAF provides labs with sustainable actions users can take to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable practices. The actions support teams on their sustainability journeys, whilst maintaining the environments necessary to nurture the cutting-edge research happening in labs across the University.

So far 27 labs from across FEPS, FHMS and FABSS have signed up to take part in the mandatory scheme, with 15 already achieving a LEAF bronze award and 3 reaching LEAF silver. It’s expected this figure will continue to increase, as funding bodies start to require LEAF certification for research grants.

When sharing their experience, lab users highlighted LEAF isn’t all about improving sustainability, but also provides a chance for teams to come together: ‘it was great to join LEAF as it has a brilliant structure to follow... Sustainability is something the whole team supports, and working collaboratively to meet the LEAF criteria has given us a goal that we can aim to achieve together'. (IFH team)

The Sustainability Team are working with teams taking part in LEAF and are aiming for all University labs to achieve bronze within the next year. A series of webinars are being developed to ensure information on all stages of LEAF are widely accessible to labs across the University.

To sign up to LEAF, please email Anna Roberts from the Sustainability Team.

To keep up to date with sustainable lab practices across the University, join the teams channel.

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