LACDR is committed to incorporating sustainability into our education and research. By developing environmentally responsible innovations in drug research, promoting the awareness of the importance of sustainability with LACDR staff and students, and implementing sustainable daily practices within our laboratories, we aim to contribute to a healthier planet. Here you can read more about recent developments in this area at LACDR.

LACDR Green Lab Initiative

Founded in 2023, the Green Lab Initiative brings together a dynamic team of PhD candidates, post-docs, research technicians, and university staff—across all six research units of the institute. Our shared goal? To reduce the environmental impact of our labs while promoting a sustainable culture within the research community.

Laboratories are extremely energy and resource intensive. They typically consume 3-10 times more energy than typical non-lab areas, and bioscience laboratories are responsible for around 2% of the global plastic waste stream. Therefore, we are committed to lowering waste, recycling plastics, reducing energy consumption, and much more. Next to that, our Green Lab Initiative also strives to start the conversations and raise awareness about sustainability within the scientific community and educational programmes.

Our mission

• Minimize waste and energy consumption in labs
• Support the transition to eco-friendly research practices
• Promote sustainability awareness within LACDR and beyond
• Integrate sustainability in the educational programmes of future researchers

To help achieve these aims, we have partnered with the internationally recognized Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) programme, which provides helpful guidelines and information to make the labs more sustainable. Laboratories are awarded either a Bronze, Silver or Gold level depending on how many sustainability actions they take across several categories (see below). We are proud that all participating LACDR labs have earned the Bronze LEAF certificate in 2023. Now, we are setting our sights on obtaining Silver certification. Check for more information the Leiden University LEAF website.

In efforts to obtain Bronze certification, we have promoted reducing energy consumption by simply turning off equipment when not in use; also you can now see the stickers below on fume hoods and instruments such as centrifuges across the LACDR.

Raising awareness

Additionally we are raising awareness by active participation at events like the LACDR Spring Symposium and the biennial summer school of ULLA, the European  consortium for (postgraduate) training in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Through these platforms, we engage with our scientific community and promote sustainable practices.

Let’s strive together to a greener future at LACDR. Contact us if you have questions or want to get involved: sustainability@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl