Hi Reader, how do sustainability and science fit together?
There's clearly a great deal of misunderstanding and fatigue when it comes to sustainability. Of course, I'd like to change that.
As one of the few successful advisors and communicators for sustainability in science, I have developed a rather unique perspective.
Let me explain how rethinking sustainability has enabled me to integrate it into science:
Today's Lesson: Rethinking Sustainability
Discussing a new perspective on the topic
Number of the Day
In the modern conceptual sense, the term sustainability can apparently be traced back to Hans Carl von Carlowitz, a Saxon mining administrator, who in 1713 used the German word Nachhaltigkeit in reference to practical forestry: harvest wood only at a rate that forests can regenerate, so that supply can continue over time. The term then developed from 1987 and 1992 up to the present day. However, in science, I believe we are missing an important perspective:
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A New Concept of Sustainability
In short, I consider sustainability to be a new perspective on optimization.
This involves scientific, economic, and psychological aspects, not just environmental ones:
There are several dimensions to sustainability. These are the five I consider most central in scientific environments. Read more here.
Why isn’t that obvious? One of the major challenges I see is that we have a false association when it comes to sustainability.
Decades of discussion have shaped sustainability in a highly political sense.
We tend to see it as a value statement, and major corporations and politicians have negatively influenced how we understand it.
I Agree with the Goal, but …
Of course, the ultimate goal is to reduce environmental impacts.
However, when it comes to integrating sustainability into science, I would strongly advise a different approach.
In other words, while I agree with the final goal, I think we should take a different path.
To my mind, sustainability in science should be understood as optimization for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Let’s break this down.
Rethinking Sustainability
When I refer to optimization, I mean that we do not rebuild processes from the ground up.
Instead, we use a step-by-step approach to improve them. This ensures that we do not introduce major risks or have to stop ongoing operations.
Effectiveness means focusing on the processes that matter most.
In science, this relates specifically to experimental design, yields, sample volumes, and data quality - because only if we maintain (or improve) quality can we drive change sustainably.
And finally, efficiency:
We come from a history in which, especially in research processes, resource efficiency was not given much consideration.
> Price and convenience often dictated decisions in both academia and industry, because we were unaware of the scale of our scientific operations.
However, with increasing pressure related to funding, reporting, and governance, sustainability has now become a major topic, regardless of the motivation.
While regulations such as the CSRD are becoming a major factor for companies, research institutions in a growing number of regions also have to report on sustainable practices to their funding bodies.
Why does this matter? There is certainly an obligation—but there are also significant benefits to my approach:
Unlocking Financial Benefits
Effectiveness ensures that we focus our efforts on what truly matters, while efficiency reduces unnecessary costs.
Labs can save even four-digit amounts simply by avoiding plastic, but reagents, antibodies, and instrument longevity are the key factors here.
The publications by Kilocyne et al. as well as Alves and colleagues are fantastic examples of how reducing plastic use and reagents can save significant amounts of money.
Helium recycling, improved instrument efficiency, and downscaling can lead to substantial savings.
How It Can Save Time
Although it is rarely discussed, many sustainable practices save time.
HPLC and UHPLC are excellent examples, but different plating techniques can also be mentioned.
Click To Enlarge - This is one of my favorite figures—showing the translation of a method from a legacy column (a) to a 50 mm UHPLC column packed with the same C18 stationary phase chemistry (b), and then to a UHPLC column packed with a novel C18-PFP stationary phase chemistry (c). Also, take a look at the time scale and see how much time you can save. Here’s the excellent article that compiled this graph.
Even at a detailed level, reusing items or using robotics can save significant time.
Of course, these changes must first be established, but the time savings persist for months and years.
Supporting the Science
One reason sustainable optimization is so powerful is that protocols are often not questioned.
They are passed down through generations, even though optimization for different tissues or approaches would be possible.
It starts with experimental design and ends with statistical interpretation. In case you are interested, I wrote on more sustainable experimental design here.
We are not really taught at university how to optimize processes. In industry, however, there is great appreciation for pragmatic new ideas.
Therefore, sustainability serves as a useful incentive that cannot be measured in terms of bonuses or salary.
It is also valuable training in optimization, where young scientists might otherwise simply follow the status quo.
There are many examples. For instance, one study showed that exchanging a solvent can increase yield and improve quality during synthesis.
This paper highlights the power of optimization, demonstrating unexpectedly improved outcomes when switching from DMSO to water for the synthesis of polyacrylamide nanogels. Moreover, the use of water enables a more cost-effective process, with more potential for scalable production.
A simple example from my own experience was testing whether I could incubate microscopy slides without parafilm covers—it turned out that I could, and fewer samples were disrupted during removal.
Applying the Knowledge
Optimizing for greater efficiency and effectiveness is the approach to enable environmental benefits as the ultimate goal.
I also mentioned psychology as a factor in the beginning. Engaging in sustainable action is not always easy, but it can be energizing.
Re-engaging with everyday routines leads to greater focus while the use of less hazardous materials also contribute to better health and safety.
While I have shared some insights in how to avoid hazardous vapors in HPLC, this table provides a simplified environmental (E), health (H), and safety (S) rankings for various solvents. If you want to learn more about green chemicals, do so here.
Beyond that, we contribute to something larger than ourselves.
Even though individual actions may not save the planet, they still contribute to a meaningful cause.
Instead of feeling discouraged when seeing a full bin every day, we gain a sense of connection with others around the world.
This is why I report on the latest innovations that make labs more sustainable while improving processes at the same time.
And this is why I want to share what I help institutions do and achieve - because it is not just about the tangible savings, but also about the stories that unite and motivate us.
How We Feel Today
References
Penndorf, P., et al., 2023. A new approach to making scientific research more efficient - rethinking sustainability. FEBS Letters, 597(19), pp. 2371–2374. doi:10.1002/1873-3468.14736.
Kilcoyne, J., et al., 2022. Reducing environmental impacts of marine biotoxin monitoring: A laboratory report. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, 1(3), e0000001. doi:10.1371/journal.pstr.0000001.
Alves, J., et al., 2020. A case report: insights into reducing plastic waste in a microbiology laboratory. Access Microbiology, 3(3), 000173. doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000173.
Mazzali, D., et al., 2025. Sustainable and surfactant-free synthesis of negatively charged acrylamide nanogels for biomedical applications. Macromolecules, 58(3), pp. 1206–1213. doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02128.
If you have a wish or a question, feel free to reply to this Email. Otherwise, wish you a beautiful week! See you again on the 23rd : )
Edited by Patrick Penndorf Connection@ReAdvance.com Lutherstraße 159, 07743, Jena, Thuringia, Germany Data Protection & Impressum If you think we do a bad job: Unsubscribe
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