Chemistry is helping itself to become more sustainable
Advances in chemical sciences play an important role in improving our lives and making the world better for all. But scientific laboratories and operations have an impact on the environment.
The chemical sciences community is aware of this and is increasingly looking to make its practices more sustainable: UCL has developed an initiative called LEAF which helps institutions in over 15 countries achieve a certification in sustainable science; the GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry in Nottingham has been designed to be carbon neutral; and Loïc Lannelongue from Cambridge University is running the Green Algorithms project, an initiative promoting more environmentally sustainable computational science.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is here to support. Our Sustainable Laboratories report highlights many examples from across the community, and throughout the world, of researchers embedding environmentally sustainable practices in their lab work. Meanwhile our action plan calls for greater coordination, support and recognition for sustainability in the lab, and we are launching small grants to help accelerate our community’s journey to sustainable research.
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Together we can make the world better for all:
- explore our Sustainable Laboratories report and seven-point action plan
- apply for up to £10,000 to help make your research activities more sustainable
- discover resources to help make your own lab more sustainable
- discover new approaches to reducing the environmental impact of research in our open access journal collection
- spread the word by sharing the campaign
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Chemistry is
reducing waste
Plastic has long been the answer for food packaging, but single-use plastics cause significant environmental damage. How are chemical scientists creating sustainable alternatives?
painting a new picture for households
PLFs are part of our lives, but the way they’re made, used and disposed of is unsustainable. How is the chemical sciences community coming together to change this picture?
driving the charge on battery technology
Electric vehicles are part of the answer to shift our reliance on fossil fuels. How are scientists using chemistry to improve existing battery technology?