Visits to more than 100 labs: Starlab’s Sustainability Weeks a resounding success

06 November 2024

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.

The Starlab Sustainability Weeks series aims to embed sustainability expertise directly in laboratory practice, thereby promoting dialogue on green issues at the European level. It has become firmly established in the laboratory industry and this year attracted around 3000 participants. “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.

Efforts to implement sustainability are already well underway, with 95% of laboratories reducing waste wherever possible, 92% actively cutting their energy consumption and 75% changing their ordering habits to reduce transport emissions and packaging waste. In addition, 72% of laboratories regularly hold training on environmental issues and over a third order sustainably produced or reusable products. “These figures clearly show that sustainability is not just a buzzword in the laboratory industry and is instead being actively practised,” adds Ambos.

During this year’s event series, Starlab also continued its tradition of planting cacti. Over 2700 plants have been given a new home by reusing Starlab TipOne racks. Starlab presents these green ambassadors as gifts to participants at its in-person events. Laboratory staff brought used racks with them to events to serve as receptacles for Starlab’s plants. Ambos says: “The cacti in our TipOne racks serve as a symbol of our commitment to reuse and sustainability, and demonstrate how we can think creatively to transform laboratory waste into something useful and inspiring.” This initiative also emphasises the importance of recycling and makes sustainability visible in laboratories.

It is an effective approach: according to a recent 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. The Starlab recycling service, which is used by a growing number of laboratories and research institutes, is a vital part of this commitment. “We’re planning to expand this service to other European countries in the near future,” adds Ambos.

Moving forward, Starlab intends to expand its Sustainability Weeks by engaging more and more laboratories throughout Europe. The company hopes to continue to increase the number of participating laboratories each year, and will continue to showcase more sustainable laboratory practices, especially where its TipOne tip system is concerned.