University of Bristol Becomes First to Secure Silver Certification for Every Laboratory Under LEAF

University of Bristol Becomes First to Secure Silver Certification for Every Laboratory Under LEAF

(IN BRIEF) The University of Bristol has become the first institution worldwide to secure Silver-level certification for all its laboratory facilities under the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), covering nearly 1,000 labs. This landmark accomplishment involved collaborative efforts from technical staff, researchers, sustainability leads, and student Green Labs Project Officers, with School Sustainability Officers driving local engagement and some Schools reaching Gold level. The certification highlights improvements in energy efficiency, equipment sharing, sustainable procurement, and waste reduction. This initiative supports Bristol’s alignment with the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability of Research and responds to funder requirements from Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, and UKRI, which now mandate sustainability considerations in research proposals. LEAF also anchors the GW4 LEAN project—uniting Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, and Exeter—to share best practices and accelerate sustainable lab frameworks. Looking ahead, Bristol aims to elevate all labs to Gold certification, better integrate LEAF with institutional systems, and share its model to foster sector-wide adoption.

(PRESS RELEASE) BRISTOL, 26-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The University of Bristol has made history as the first-ever global institution to attain Silver-level certification across every one of its laboratories through the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF). Covering almost 1,000 lab spaces within its various Schools and Faculties, this achievement is the culmination of a concerted, multi-year collaboration among technical teams, research staff, sustainability leads, and the student-driven Green Labs Project Officers who orchestrated and verified the programme university-wide.

Key to this success were the School Sustainability Officers, whose hands-on support and local leadership underpinned implementation and engagement efforts—several Schools even secured a full Gold certification under their guidance. The Silver award recognises tangible enhancements in lab practices, including improved cold storage management, optimized fume cupboard usage, shared instrument schemes, greener procurement strategies, and targeted waste minimisation.

“Sustainability is no longer an optional extra in research—it’s part of excellence,” stated Anna Lewis, Sustainable Science Manager at Bristol. “Achieving Silver certification for all our labs is a proud moment, but more importantly, it lays the groundwork for higher-quality research, reduced emissions, and alignment with funder requirements. It’s the bedrock for enduring transformation.”

This milestone dovetails with Bristol’s commitments under the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability of Research and echoes growing mandates from major funders—such as Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, and UKRI—which now require demonstrable sustainability plans in grant applications. LEAF offers a recognised benchmark for evidencing these efforts during proposal review.

Moreover, LEAF serves as the cornerstone of the GW4 LEAN (Laboratory Efficiency Action Network) initiative—backed by the GW4 Generator Fund—and fosters collaboration among Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, and Exeter. By sharing best practices, delivering joint training, and championing sustainable lab frameworks, the network aims to replicate Bristol’s Silver success regionally and nationally.

Looking forward, the University plans to maintain and uplift its LEAF certification to Gold, integrate it more deeply with procurement, digital, and estates systems, and disseminate its learnings across GW4 and LEAN partners. “We’ve shown that culture change at scale is possible when researchers, technicians, and sustainability experts unite,” Anna Lewis concluded. “Our next goal is to embed this as the sector standard.”

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SOURCE: University of Bristol