The environmental impact of lab research is considerable. Researchers at the University of Groningen mapped the footprint of their labs. In RSC Sustainability they present the results of their efforts to make labs more sustainable and provide tips for other researchers. 

Researchers who really aim to contribute to a more sustainable world should first take a close look at the emissions and waste produced by their own lab, Thomas Freese and colleagues from the University of Groningen write in RSC Sustainability. Even though researchers come up with all kinds of worthwhile ‘green’ solutions, they are also part of the bigger problem.   

Whereas an average citizen in The Netherlands was responsible for emitting around 13 tonnes of CO₂ in 2020, the work of an average researcher alone is responsible for 10 - 37 tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year. This includes activities such as travel to international conferences and it is varies across scientific fields. For example, for astronomers emissions amount to 18 - 37 tonnes; for chemists 5 - 10 tonnes and for researchers in life sciences 4 to 15 tonnes of CO₂ per year.