Plan for environmental sustainability

Science and research, like any other human activity, comes with its own environmental footprint. 

By considering the potential environmental impacts of research and innovation practices at early stages of proposal development, researchers can integrate sustainable research principles and mitigate the negative environmental impacts of undertaking research activities.

This page contains top tips and key recommendations. 

Download the full version of this guidance (PDF). The PDF includes reflective questions and additional resources.

Lab-based research

  • consider whether you can share common chemicals and consumables
  • avoid single-use items and reduce volumes of reagents
  • close fume cupboards sashes whenever possible, and do not use for storage
  • recirculate water used for cooling and ensure level of water purity is appropriate
  • include energy and water efficiency, and maintenance, in procurement decisions

The University of Cambridge is signed up to the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), a programme and standard designed to enhance the sustainability of laboratories. 

Any lab within the University can take part, and work towards improving their environmental performance.

Computational research

  • use energy- efficient data centres i.e. CSD3
  • select cloud computing services with sustainability commitments
  • adjust computing workflows to reduce energy use
  • make conscious decisions about research questions and the amount of analysis needed to keep efficiency wins without over-extending the scope of the compute
  • use the best software for the task including the latest software updates

Tools and frameworks for making your computational research sustainable

  • Green DiSC: a certification scheme designed to provide research groups and institutions with a structured approach to reducing the environmental impact of their computing activities.
  • Green Algorithms: a project that promotes environmentally sustainable computational
    science
  • Research Computing Services: The University of Cambridge’s national centre for digital research infrastructure

Health research and clinical trials

  • use best practice guidelines for safe and sustainable waste disposal
  •  implement energy- efficient storage solutions for samples and medical research data
  • source materials from sustainable and ethical suppliers and consider environmental impacts across health research supply chains
  • look at carbon audits of previous clinical trials to see what you can learn about keeping the environmental impact of your proposed study or trial as low as possible
  • align with local NHS trusts, for example Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Green Plan
  • share samples and data be with other studies

Tools and frameworks for making health research and clinical trials sustainable

Doing fieldwork

  • combine multiple research tasks into fewer trips to minimise overall emissions
  • limit the number of people travelling, by using in-country partners for data collection etc.
  • access or source equipment or other resources locally, rather than shipping them, if this is the lower carbon option
  • use low intrusive sampling methods and only sample what you need

The Royal Geographical Society has produced guidance for conducting responsible and ethical fieldwork.

Travelling

Only travel if it's essential for your project, or for disseminating your research outputs.

If you have to travel, you should:

Sharing your research

  • make your research data as reusable as possible, following FAIR principles, so that others do not use more energy by duplicating it
  • choose a digital repository that is committed to the long-term preservation of your research outputs (e.g. Apollo - the University of Cambridge repository, has been CoreTrustSeal certified as a sustainable and trustworthy repository)
  • choose open access to enable the wide dissemination of research, promote transparency and minimise duplication of research

Read more about open research and managing research data.

Research equipment and consumables

  • make use of second hand or reconditioned equipment where this is possible
  • make sure that your equipment is well maintained, and only turned on when it's needed
  • recycle old equipment
  • make sure that you're following sustainable procurement guidelines

Where to look for shared, second hand or reconditioned equipment

  • the National Equipment Database: a portal that lists research equipment and facilities in academia and research organisations across the UK
  • UniGreenScheme: an online marketplace where staff can purchase second-hand items, as well as collection and resale services for equipment that is no longer needed
  • Warp It: an online marketplace to redistribute office furniture, lab equipment and other resources within the University for free

If you have any questions about environmental sustainability, please contact sustainableresearch@admin.cam.ac.uk.