Starlab sustainability drive: Over 3,000 cacti send a clear message for sustainable lab practices

21 November 2023

Over 3,000 cacti have been planted in Starlab TipOne racks as a daily reminder to laboratory scientists to put sustainability at the core of their research practices. This is just one result of this year’s Sustainability Weeks organised by laboratory product manufacturer Starlab. The company organised roughly 85 events on the subject of sustainability in October. “This year’s series of events attracted more than 3,500 participants. It was a huge success. This overwhelming response underlines the pressing need to integrate sustainability expertise into laboratories – even in economically challenging times”, says Klaus Ambos, Managing Director of Starlab International GmbH. One of the standout aspects of this series of events is that Starlab is taking its sustainability expertise straight to the various facilities in order to foster a green dialogue at European level.

According to Unesco, the scientific community generates a significant amount of plastic waste and, despite making up just 0.1 per cent of the global population, has a large impact on the environment. A study conducted by the University of Exeter found that life scientists alone produce around 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, equating to around 2 per cent of plastic waste produced worldwide. The amount of waste generated by other scientific fields, however, is unknown. Klaus Ambos: “Fortunately, we are seeing increasing awareness of sustainable laboratory practices. Scientists conducting research in the life sciences are unintentionally harming the planet and its inhabitants – the very things they are trying to improve and protect. We must utilise all the options available to us to change this.”

Not only did Starlab present sustainable laboratory practices and product options at the various events, it also gave over 3,500 participants from universities, clinics and laboratories the means to take an active role in promoting sustainability. Starlab provided free plants to be planted in empty TipOne racks to symbolise the importance of responsible use of resources. Visitors were also given EcolutionMovement stickers which they can display in their laboratories as a daily reminder to save energy and protect the environment. “We have compiled a package of measures as part of the EcolutionMovement that pools all internal and external activities associated with the complex issue of sustainability. Our goal is to encourage both our employees and laboratory staff to adopt a more sustainable approach”, says Ambos.

This is the laboratory product manufacturer’s fifth series of sustainability events. “We are continuing our mission to develop innovative products and promote awareness of environmentally friendly research practices”, adds Klaus Ambos.