SWC awarded fifth LEAF Gold award for lab sustainability
18 July 2025
The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre has been awarded a fifth consecutive LEAF Gold award, recognising continued commitment to sustainable laboratory practices across its research community.
The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), developed by UCL and now used by institutions worldwide, provides a standard for improving the environmental performance of laboratories. It supports changes in areas such as energy use, equipment efficiency, procurement, waste reduction and resource sharing, with progress assessed through annual audits.
Achieving Gold requires strong evidence of best practice and demonstrable impact. At SWC, this has included efforts from reducing reliance on single-use PPE, identifying opportunities to lower energy and ventilation use when not essential, to improving the way lab consumables are managed, and supporting behavioural change across groups through events, communications, and peer engagement.
The rooftop wildflower meadow at SWC, 2025.
The SWC has maintained Gold status every year since the scheme was launched, reflecting an ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility in scientific research.
“SWC has built a strong culture of sustainability within its labs, with enthusiastic participation from staff and students across SWC,” said Eve McLoughlin, SWC’s Laboratories Manager, who leads on sustainability work. “We’re proud to receive this recognition again, and we’ll continue working to find practical, evidence-based ways to reduce our environmental impacts.”
“A really impressive submission, supported with great examples and data. Those I met on the day are a credit to the sustainability efforts the SWC have put in and it's clear there is a strong collaborative approach to sustainability. A shining example of what labs can do in this area to reduce their carbon impact whilst still completing exemplary research.” – Feedback from the LEAF assessment visit.
Sharing best practice
Earlier this year, Eve and colleagues from the SWC Green Team organised a LEAF networking event, bringing together staff from across UCL and the Francis Crick Institute. The event was a chance to share best practices in lab sustainability — from recycling and energy use to staff engagement.
Eve is now supporting other universities in running similar events.
Eve McLoughlin speaking at the LEAF networking event.
Beyond LEAF
Eve, together with Doug Ward, Head of Building Operations at SWC, has also been involved in setting up the UK branch of The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), and SWC is a founding member of the UK branch. I2SL is devoted to the principles of sustainable laboratories and related high-technology facilities, from design to engineering to operation.
They recently attended a workshop on I2SL’s Lab Benchmarking Tool — a platform that allows institutions to input data such as building size and energy use, and in return receive an Actionable Insights and Measures (AIM) report. The report provides a sustainability efficiency score and benchmarks performance against comparable facilities. As more institutions join, the tool’s comparisons and recommendations continue to improve. It also offers tailored advice on how to enhance sustainability, along with estimates of the potential impact of specific changes. SWC plans to join the scheme once the UK-specific model launches later this year.
