Navigating Lab Sustainability: How Environmental Partners Drive Change

Co-written by My Green Lab and Triumvirate Environmental ​

At My Green Lab, we understand the unique challenges laboratories face in their journey towards sustainability. One of our goals is to bridge the gap between ambitious sustainability goals and practical, achievable steps that labs can take. We offer a variety of programs designed to make labs greener, such as the My Green Lab Certification program, ACT Eco-Label for sustainable product evaluation, and the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge. These initiatives not only help labs reduce their environmental footprint, but also enhance efficiency and promote a culture of sustainability within the scientific community.

However, sustainability in laboratories isn't just about reducing waste or energy consumption; it’s about creating a holistic approach that integrates environmental responsibility into every aspect of laboratory operations. This includes everything from procurement of sustainable products, efficient energy use, waste minimization, and promoting a culture of sustainability among staff. By adopting comprehensive sustainability practices, labs can significantly reduce their environmental impact while often realizing cost savings and operational efficiencies.

Environmental partners can be key to achieving these goals. They bring specialized knowledge and practical solutions that can help labs implement and maintain effective sustainability practices. A competent and capable partner can provide critical support in navigating EHS regulations, optimizing resources, and ensuring efficiency in ongoing progress. In addition, partnerships foster innovation and creativity, enabling labs to tackle sustainability challenges with confidence—all while achieving meaningful results.
 
Why You May Need an Environmental Partner

Navigating the complex landscape of environmental regulations and sustainability best practices can be challenging. An environmental partner can provide the expert guidance to help ensure your lab stays compliant with the latest sustainability standards—as well as optimize resource use, meaning cost savings and reduced environmental impact. By offering specialized services such as waste management, environmental leadership, and consulting for such topics as energy efficiency solutions or best practice implementation, environmental partners can address the sustainability challenges unique to your laboratory and help you move forward in a knowledgeable and effective way.

Moreover, a trusted environmental partner will support sustainability initiative implementation, ensuring a smooth transition into new procedures and practical outcomes of these changes. Continuous improvement is another benefit of partnering for sustainability services; an environmental partner can help track progress and measure impact, spurring sustainability practice evolution and success over time.

Almost every facility requires some form of support in implementing sustainability initiatives—rarely can an organization operate completely independently in this venture. Be it with green waste disposal, environmental consulting, or sustainable committee leadership, there are almost always some major tasks that warrant sustainability services from a competent and experienced partner. Some signs that your organization may need help from an environmental partner are:
​

• Project teams are overloaded and busy
• The organization lacks a clear sustainability leader
• A sustainability leader is identified, but they can’t maintain internal sustainability support
• Sustainability metrics reporting is required
• There is an internal desire to analyze sustainability metrics
• Lofty corporate or operational sustainability goals require attention
• There is a desire to track and reduce energy use, waste consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—as well as associated costs
• Internal processes are not aligning with the broader organizational environmental position
• Utility costs need to be lowered
• Green sourcing and supply chain is desired
• There is interest in obtaining a sustainability certification such as My Green Lab Certification, whether by individual teams or as an organization overall

If one or more of these apply to you, it might be time to consider working with an experienced and dedicated environmental partner who can guide and support your sustainability journey.

EHS Partnering for Lab Sustainability

At My Green Lab, we provide the framework and tools necessary to help labs achieve their sustainability goals. Our My Green Lab Certification program sets the standard for best practices in lab sustainability, covering areas such as energy conservation, waste reduction, and sustainable purchasing. Labs that achieve this certification demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and leadership in the scientific community.

While our programs provide the framework and recognition for sustainable practices, an environmental partner can offer the on-the-ground support necessary for implementing these practices. EHS vendors like My Green Lab’s Accelerator Partner Triumvirate Environmental can support your lab's journey towards sustainability. With a deep-set commitment to sustainability and an expansive set of service offerings, including sustainable waste management, from upstream waste management to downstream recycling and other green disposal, Triumvirate Environmental has the know-how—and the onsite support—to help you succeed.

Whether you seek guidance on best practices, insights into broader organizational initiatives, leadership for your sustainability committee to drive innovation and success, or physical waste and onsite services, Triumvirate Environmental, with over 65 My Green Lab Ambassadors and more than 10 My Green Lab Accredited Professionals on their team, can serve as the catalyst to empower labs toward sustainable excellence.

Building a Sustainable Future Together

Regardless of what you need, a partnership with an experienced environmental services provider can help you fully achieve your sustainability goals. With a suite of trained consultants, national reach, and backed by a team of qualified and dedicated onsite support staff, Triumvirate Environmental is well-equipped to support your lab’s journey towards sustainability. As our Accelerator Partner, Triumvirate Environmental has everything you need to succeed in your My Green Lab Certification journey.
Our collaboration with Triumvirate Environmental underscores the importance of a comprehensive approach to sustainability. By leveraging the strengths of both My Green Lab and an environmental partner, labs can achieve their sustainability goals more effectively and efficiently. Together, we can make a significant impact on the environmental footprint of the scientific community.
​

To learn more, you can visit Triumvirate Environmental’s Lab Sustainability Services page.