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University research laboratories are energy and material intensive, consuming up to 10 times more energy than other academic spaces.

They also produce gallons of waste water and single-use plastic waste every year.

King’s manages a network of research laboratories across our campuses. Within these laboratories, staff are implementing innovative carbon reduction initiatives to help achieve our climate and sustainability ambitions.

In December 2024, King's signed the UKRI’s Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. The Sustainable Research Team are ambitious to support cutting-edge research that is both efficient and environmentally responsible.

Our goal is for all King's wet-labs to achieve bronze LEAF status by 2025 and gold by 2030.

The Sustainable Research Team is supporting King's by assisting all wet labs to achieve bronze LEAF accreditation by 2025 and gold by 2030; identifying dry-labs for GreenDisc; creating a wealth of training resources, workshops and support; and championing a range of innovation sustainable research projects.

While much has been achieved, there is plenty more to do. If you have any ideas, queries, or want to get involved with this growing area of sustainability please contact the Sustainable Research team.

Contact us

Contact the Sustainable Research Team:

marcelo.salierno@kcl.ac.uk
lucy.menage@kcl.ac.uk
SustainableLabs@kcl.ac.uk

Two Days of Sustainable Research at King’s College London

Join us on 15 and 16 April 2026 for two days of hands‑on workshops exploring how we can work smarter, reduce our environmental impact and support a more sustainable future for research at King’s. Delivered with colleagues across the UK, the programme brings together researchers, software engineers, funders and sustainability leaders to share best practice, practical tools, fresh ideas and real‑world experience. You’ll hear from speakers and contributors from leading organisations, offering national perspectives on the tools, policies and approaches shaping sustainable research. You’re welcome to join either day independently or attend both.

Two Days of Sustainable Research at King’s College London
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Programmes and campaigns

Green DiSC

Green DiSC is is a sustainability programme run by the Software...

Sustainable science projects

Find out more about some of the projects, campaigns and events run by the Sustainable Research team. From campaigns such as the Freezer Challenge to a range of inclusive events for the King's community, the team works across disciplines and campuses to help embed sustainability across laboratories and other science and research contexts at King's.

A collection of scientific equipment on a bench

Zero Waste Fly Facility Project in collaboration with the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology

Fly close up on a yellow background

Together with the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, the Sustainable Research team are exchanging single-use plastic feeding vials in the fly facility for reusable glass alternatives whilst investigating the possibility of the food waste going to a bioreactor to generate a zero-waste fly facility.

Zebrafish Garden Project in collaboration with Professor Corinne Houart’s group & the Hodgkin fly facility manager, Bruno Correia da Silva

A school of Zebrafish.

Zebrafish facilities generate up to 3200 litres of wastewater every day to prevent the build-up of ammonia in the fish tanks. We are piloting an innovative project to recycle the wastewater using an aquaponics system to remove the contaminants and return the water back to the facility.

More about Sustainability at King’s

Education

Embedding sustainability into education and the student experience