Visits to more than 100 labs: Starlab's Sustainability Weeks a resounding success
The laboratory product manufacturer Starlab International is reflecting on the success of its sixth annual Sustainability Weeks. More than 100 laboratories across Europe participated in this year's event series from 7 to 25 October, up from 85 laboratories in 2023. In addition to live events in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy, Starlab hosted six webinars. The combined events attracted around 3000 participants in total.
“We see a growing willingness to integrate environmentally friendly practices in everyday laboratory operations. Sustainability is no longer a trend, it's a long-term strategic focus,” explains Klaus Ambos, President & CEO of Starlab International GmbH.
This is confirmed by the latest data from the Starlab Mood Barometer, which found that 9 out of 10 laboratories regard sustainability as increasingly important for their activities. 95% of laboratories are reducing waste wherever possible, 92% actively cutting their energy consumption, and 75% changing their ordering habits to reduce transport emissions and packaging waste.
“These figures clearly show that sustainability is not just a buzzword in the laboratory industry and is instead being actively practised,” adds Ambos.
The cactus tradition
During this year's event series, Starlab continued its tradition of planting cacti. Over 2700 plants have been given a new home by reusing Starlab TipOne® racks, presented as gifts to participants at in-person events.
“The cacti in our TipOne® racks serve as a symbol of our commitment to reuse and sustainability, and demonstrates how we can think creatively to transform laboratory waste into something useful and inspiring,” says Ambos.
According to a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, sustainable practices such as recycling, energy efficiency measures and using sustainable materials can reduce a laboratory's carbon footprint by up to 30%.
“Our commitment to sustainability has a long-term focus. Through our Sustainability Weeks we aim to make a meaningful contribution to help labs reduce the environmental footprint of research activities,” emphasises Ambos. “We're planning to expand this service to other European countries in the near future.”
