A few types of equipment have been discussed thus far, such as fume hoods, centrifuges, freezers, refrigerators, and autoclaves. As these take the largest energy toll, they warranted a special mention. However, here are some things to keep in mind when purchasing any type of equipment:
- Check the energy rating of equipment. Sometimes this requires research.
- Give preference to manufacturers with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for good environmental practices. Although ISO standards also cover quality management, occupational health and safety, and social responsibility, environmental sustainability is also part of their certification. More information about ISO will be discussed later.
- Energy is not the only consideration - also check into the equipment's water usage as well as the potential for safe reusing or disposing of the item when no longer in use.
- Other organizations that can be of help include My Green Lab10 and International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (ISL)11. More information about these and other organizations may be found in the last section of this course. My Green Lab offers the ACT. Database that provides the "environmental impact factor" for numerous items from several different companies. This will be discussed further in the last section.
- Purchase the minimum size necessary to meet the needs of the laboratory. Larger instruments or pieces of equipment will most likely take more energy, although this isn't necessarily always true.
- Many suppliers have take-back programs for recycling, trade-in, or trade-up, so this should be a consideration before making a purchase.
- Does the instrument under consideration require specific supplies or reagents available only from that manufacturer? Perhaps the instrument itself may not have much of an environmental footprint, but a requirement to use specific supplies or reagents that are not environmentally friendly or that generate huge amounts of waste could be problematic. Research other manufacturers.
11. International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories. About I2SL: Advancing sustainable laboratories globally. I2SL webpage. (No date.) Accessed February 11, 2023. https://www.i2sl.org/about/index.html
