Barts Cancer Institute receives LEAF Awards for sustainability
The Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), Queen Mary University of London, has been awarded LEAF awards for sustainability, achieving Bronze or Silver certification standards across each of our 15 laboratory sections.
Laboratory research, while crucial for scientific progress, can be energy and resource-intensive. Laboratories produce about 2% of the world's plastic waste and typically consume between three and ten times more energy per square metre than an average office. Environmental changes affect everyone, and pollution is increasingly recognised as a risk factor for cancer. As an institute, we recognise our responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of our research for the well-being of future generations.
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), developed initially at University College London, is an internationally recognised programme that provides a framework for laboratories to reduce their use of plastic, water, energy, and other resources.
All 15 of our laboratory sections, encompassing our different research centres, units and facilities, received LEAF certification, with 14 achieving Bronze certification, and our Cancer Imaging laboratory going one step further to achieve Silver. We are committed to achieving Silver certification across the institute within the next year, and going for Gold in the following years.
The work to improve our sustainability has involved staff across the institute and has been spearheaded by the BCI’s lab management team, core facility managers, and sustainability champions.
Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld, Director of the Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London, says:
“This award reflects the collective efforts and dedication of our staff, who have made sustainability an integral part of our daily research operations. At Barts Cancer Institute, we recognise that the way we conduct our research today directly influences the well-being of future generations, including people affected by cancer. We are proud to be at the forefront of adopting high standards of sustainability in research, and we remain firmly committed to further enhancing our sustainability practices, aiming for higher LEAF accreditation in the years to come.”
Queen Mary University of London has a six-year target of reducing our carbon emissions by 30% against our 2018/19 baseline. We are committed to continued improvement of our environmental performance through our ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System which covers all functions, processes, and operations delivered from our UK campuses.
We are also a signatory of the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, a commitment for institutions to work individually and collectively to ensure the future design and practice of UK research and innovation is environmentally sustainable.
Category: General News, Grants & Awards
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