This is a remarkable milestone in our sustainability journey and a powerful demonstration of what we can accomplish together as a university community. It reflects several years of strategic work to increase engagement, embed good practice, and build the culture and infrastructure needed to reach this point.
Dr Marcelo Salierno, Sustainability Innovation Lead (Research)
21 July 2025
King's amongst first to achieve 100% lab sustainability accreditation
64 teams were awarded accreditation at Bronze level or higher at the 2025 King’s Climate & Sustainability Awards
King’s has become one of the first universities to achieve 100% sustainability accreditation across its wet labs, spanning 44 departments and 64 accredited teams, with each one achieving bronze or higher in the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF).
Wet labs are spaces where research is undertaken in a controlled setting with dedicated laboratory equipment and benches (contrasting with dry labs, which involve computer- or desk-based research).
These achievements were celebrated on 15 July 2025 at the King’s Climate & Sustainability Awards Ceremony, where staff from across the University came together to celebrate the embedding of sustainability through the Sustainability Champions programme.
76 teams across King’s were given awards, an increase of 17 from the previous year, across three pathways: LEAF for labs, Green Impact for offices and Green DiSC for computer-based research.
Transforming the way we do research
LEAF enables our research and technical staff to undertake research in an environmentally sustainable way, offering a series of targeted actions and guidance in areas such as improving efficiency and reducing use of resources such as plastics, water, and energy.
Through the LEAF framework, the sustainable labs enable us to lead by example, with Gold-accredited labs having cut energy use by 10–30%, reduced waste and water consumption, and also made considerable financial savings.
LEAF also creates a valuable opportunity to collaborate with our Estates & Facilities teams, turning lab sustainability into measurable, institution-wide outcomes. Simple actions - like raising temperatures of ultra-low temperature freezers or managing fume hood sash use - can significantly reduce energy use, ease infrastructure strain, and support smarter maintenance planning.
This institution-wide success was coordinated by the Sustainable Research Team in the Research Management & Innovation Directorate, formed of Dr Marcelo Salierno, Sustainability Innovation Lead (Research) and Dr Lucy Menage, Sustainability Research Specialist. Their strategic planning - including the division of lab areas for accreditation and the engagement of departmental Lab Sustainability Leads - was instrumental in driving participation and ensuring action across more than 35,000 sqm of lab space.
King’s recently became a signatory of the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, demonstrating our commitment to taking shared action on reducing and eliminating our negative environmental impacts and transitioning to sustainable practices. Achieving LEAF accreditation across our labs further reflects this commitment.
Dr Marcelo Salierno, Sustainability Innovation Lead (Research), said:
As one of the first universities in the UK to achieve 100% accreditation across wet labs, King’s will next be looking to achieve 100% Gold across all its labs. This will include working closely with other universities as a board member of the Laboratory Efficiency Action Network (LEAN) to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in adopting sustainable best practices, as well as liaising with researchers and technical staff to continue identifying innovative ways of further embedding sustainability within our labs.
LEAN was recently recognised with European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)'s lab sustainability award for its impact, and we’re excited to be a co-lead institution on the project and part of that momentum. EMBO is an organisation of more than 2,100 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond.
Driving sustainability at King's
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President, spoke about the importance of shaping the minds of future generations and the crucial role of Sustainability Champions:
A university, like any other institution, creates a footprint — and of course, we should do everything we can to minimise that. But I would argue that our role in society goes beyond simply reducing our environmental impact. We have the unique privilege of being able to shape minds. The climate challenges we face today are too complex to be solved by any single technology or policy. The single biggest thing we can do is to influence the 40,000 young minds that pass through our university every year. If we can inspire them, educate them, empower them — that is where our greatest impact lies. And to do that, we must lead by example. We must walk the talk. And that is exactly what you are doing.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President
The awards ceremony also included case study examples from a variety of teams, who discussed some of their innovative approaches to lab sustainability. This included the Innovation Hub at Guy’s, whose implementation of a slide washer reduced the number of plastic slides that were being thrown away.
The afternoon concluded with a networking drinks reception, including a plant-based chocolate celebration cake and food from the Root-to-Tip project.
Rosa Roe Garcia, Sustainability Engagement Manager and event lead, said:
I've had the pleasure to organise the awards for three consecutive years now. Not only is it a chance to recognise the incredible passion, determination and innovation from staff across King's driving sustainability in the workplace, it's a chance to be inspired and filled with hope that that by making change together, we can find solutions to the climate crisis.
Rosa Roe Garcia, Sustainability Engagement Manager
Find out more about the Sustainability Champions or take action on climate and sustainability at King’s.
Spotlight on Sustainable research at King's
Find out more about our sustainable research, including our work towards meeting King's commitments to the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice.