Knowledge Platform Lab Managers: On the way to a more sustainable laboratory: Ideas and tools to reduce environmental impact

The event started with Sven Hemmink, General Manager at CheckMark, setting the tone with an opening address. Following him, Theo de Haas (Kadans) and Menno van Lummel (Leyden Labs) welcomed the audience at the Plus Ultra building and Leyden Labs as the hosts of the event.

Mandy Erkelens, Postdoctoral Researcher LUMC / Core member Green Labs NL, took the stage to share the mission of Green Labs NL. This mission is to accelerate the transition towards a just and sustainable laboratory environment and scientific landscape in the Netherlands and beyond. Mandy gave an overview of Green Labs NL projects such as the development of open-access education materials and the coordination of lab sustainability programs across the Netherlands. In more detail, she explained various opportunities on how to reduce your CO2 footprint, especially scope 2 and 3.

Elza Duijm, Head of Laboratories at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center shared her views on sustainability not only as an ethical obligation but also as an opportunity to enhance scientific practices. ‘While our laboratories are essential for biodiversity research, they also have a significant environmental impact’ is Elza’s point of view. Some of the questions she addressed were ‘What steps can we take to minimize this impact? How can we integrate innovative technologies and methodologies to enable more sustainable research? And how can we inspire the broader scientific and laboratory community to see sustainability not as a burden, but as an integral part of excellent research and laboratory processes? By collaborating and sharing best practices, we can take the lead in making scientific research more sustainable and contribute to a healthier planet’ according to Elza.

Tomica Kralj, sustainability and continuous improvement lead at Pharming Technologies BV, engaged the audience with his practical experience with implementing green ideas in the R&D laboratory of a pharmaceutical company. He led the group through the process of forming a sustainability team at LBSP (Leiden Bio Science Park) and challenges related to that, such as connecting and organizing people from various companies. Ongoing sustainability project at LBSP were presented by Tomica. As such, his talk was useful both for people working at LBSP to see what concrete steps they can take on their path to sustainability, and for people outside Leiden to have an insight into building a community.

After the lectures, the visitors were taken on a tour of the state-of-the-art laboratories at Leyden Labs. A networking session was also organized, where new connections were made between the attendees and speakers in an informal atmosphere.

The feedback from the participants on the event was very positive, with the role of the event in promoting sustainable laboratories being well highlighted. The expertise shared by the speakers was seen as inspiring.

This session demonstrated that sustainability in laboratories is not only necessary but also achievable and inspiring. By sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, and offering practical tools, we are collectively taking steps toward greener laboratory practices. Whether it’s reducing CO₂ emissions, leveraging technology, or building a community that embraces sustainability—it all starts with awareness and collaboration.

Would you like to be part of this growing network of laboratory professionals shaping the future? Sign up for the next edition of the Knowledge Platform Lab Managers.