LEAF pilot project paves the way for more sustainable laboratories at AU

Over the past six months, researchers, technicians and students at Health have developed sustainable routines, tested new solutions and undergone audits conducted by colleagues. Staff in five laboratories have, among other things, reviewed procurement practices, waste management and energy consumption, and changed everyday working habits as test participants in a certification scheme that is new at AU.

The pilot project has now concluded, and the experience gained will be used when, in 2026, the university rolls out sustainability certification of laboratories as part of the climate action plan.

The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) is an international certification tool that helps laboratories reduce their climate footprint and make everyday operations more sustainable – without compromising research and education.

The certifications are available at three levels (bronze, silver and gold) and signal to colleagues, funders, students and potential partners that sustainability is an integral part of everyday life in the laboratory.

“It has gone really well”

For the LEAF steering group, the pilot project has been a resounding success.

“Over the past few months, we have gained a much clearer picture of how LEAF can be implemented in individual laboratories, both in practice and organisationally, and it has gone really well,” says Thomas Corydon, Professor at the Department of Biomedicine and Chair of the steering group, and continues:

“The participants have tested the LEAF portal, trialled concrete initiatives and had many productive discussions about what sustainability means at the laboratory bench. The fact that all five laboratories in the pilot project have achieved bronze certification shows that there is a strong willingness among staff to work with sustainability in everyday practice.”

In the laboratories, work with LEAF has, among other things, led to a thorough review of existing waste-sorting routines, with a focus on how plastics, chemicals and general waste should be handled on a daily basis.

Several of the pilot representatives also emphasise that the time investment required for each laboratory has been manageable relative to the benefits. The scheme is experienced as something that can be integrated into everyday work, rather than as a heavy additional layer on top of everything else.

From idea to reality – with thorough audits

When faculty management launched the pilot project earlier this year, the aim was to see how LEAF functions in laboratories with different research areas, working rhythms and cultures.

Over recent months, five laboratories have worked with the bronze criteria, developed new routines, tested solutions and shared experiences with one another.

The first audits took place in September at the Research Laboratory at the Department of Dentistry and Oral Health, the Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology Section at the Department of Forensic Medicine, the Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Department of Clinical Medicine, and Retinal Gene Therapy at the Department of Biomedicine. This was followed by certification of the Climate Chambers at the Department of Public Health.

Although it was a pilot project, the laboratories were met with thorough audits. The steering group stresses that the audits were rigorous in all cases: the auditors asked about all criteria at bronze level and conducted an exploratory and inquisitive, yet constructive, dialogue with the participants – no one slipped easily through the eye of the needle.

“The bronze level provided laboratories with a manageable place to start. They could build experience and establish fixed routines without the project becoming too extensive. Several groups have already gone further than we expected and will now aim for silver. This provides a strong foundation for the continued work,” says biomedical laboratory scientist Inger Merete S. Paulsen, also from the Department of Biomedicine and a member of the steering group.

Joint evaluation and an emerging cultural change

At the conclusion of the pilot project, the steering group and representatives from the laboratories took stock. They discussed both the practical experiences from the pilot project and the cultural changes that have accompanied it.

Participants point out that LEAF makes it easier to bring together and structure initiatives that were previously isolated or informal – for example regarding energy consumption, waste management and procurement. They also find that it makes a difference when certifications are visibly displayed in the laboratories.

“It matters to those involved to receive tangible proof of the effort they have put in,” says administrative consultant Liv Felter Jensen from the Department of Biomedicine, and continues:

“The five laboratories have received a bronze certification based on very concrete changes in day-to-day operations. When the certificates are displayed prominently, both current staff and new colleagues are reminded that sustainability is something we actively work with. We can already see that several laboratories are keen to continue with LEAF, and other laboratories outside the pilot have also expressed interest in taking part.”

Overall, interest in LEAF has been strong across the faculty, and a number of groups have already asked whether they can become certified.

High ambitions and more LEAF on the way

The Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit wishes to have its other laboratories, which were not part of the pilot project, audited, and the Forensic Chemistry Section has announced that it will aim for silver or gold certification next time.

According to the steering group, this interest is a sign of a cultural change that comes from the bottom up and is driven by staff.

“We can see that staff are taking ownership of the work with LEAF and are themselves driving further development. The model we have chosen, where laboratories evaluate each other, has helped create a shared responsibility across units,” says Inger Merete S. Paulsen.

The steering group points out that one of the greatest strengths of the LEAF scheme is that researchers and technicians experience the criteria as relevant to their everyday work – not as yet another layer of bureaucracy on top of everything else.

Direct contribution to AU’s climate action plan

In the 2026 climate action plan, LEAF is designated as the central framework for sustainability work in laboratories. The goal is for a significant number of laboratories across faculties to achieve at least bronze certification, while laboratories with the capacity and commitment are supported in aiming for silver or gold certification.

Based on the pilot project, the steering group and the five laboratories have developed recommendations for the continued work on sustainability in laboratories at Aarhus University.

The recommendations point to a need for shared materials and a standardised procedure for audits and support if the scheme is to be rolled out and become a permanent part of laboratory work across the university. The aim is to make it easy for individual laboratories to get started, so that no one is left to tackle the task alone.

In this connection, the steering group is very pleased that LEAF will be anchored centrally at AU.

“We are very pleased that a decision has been made to work with initiatives such as LEAF across the entire university. It is an important step in AU’s sustainability efforts. Through the pilot project, we have helped create a solid foundation for the decision the university has now taken and, hopefully, made it easier to establish the best possible framework for the initiative,” says Thomas Corydon.

As part of the implementation, AU will begin recruiting a project manager for the LEAF initiative in early 2026.

Contact

Professor Thomas Corydon
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Telephone: +45 28 99 21 79
Email: corydon@biomed.au.dk