Twenty-four Trinity labs earn sustainable certifications

Posted on: 16 July 2025

Launched in October 2023, with the aim of bringing best-in-class, sustainable research practices into Irish research labs, the programme marked what was a global first as Research Ireland were the first national research funding body to spearhead a certification process in lab sustainability.

The Trinity recipients (professors, doctors and principal investigators), recognised for their efforts in running sustainable labs, are: Matthew Campbell; Laetitia Chauve; Eoin Scanlan; Quentin Crowley; Michael A Morris; Valeria Nicolosi; Richard Hobbs; Jennifer McElwain (for three separate labs); Daniel Kelly; Triona Lally; Michael Monaghan; Brooke Tornifoglio; David Hoey; Conor Buckley; Mark Ahearne; Rachel McLoughlin (for two labs); Plamen Stamenov; Martin Caffrey; Suzanne Cloonan; Maeve Caldwell; and John Boland.

Prof. Jane Stout, Vice President for Biodiversity and Climate Action at Trinity, said: “Trinity is a research intensive university, and we are conscious of the negative environmental impacts of doing research in terms of energy, water and other resource use, and generation and disposal of waste, particularly in our research laboratories.”

“My Green Labs is an accreditation and certification system that Trinity is engaging with to encourage more sustainable laboratory practices and we have invested in human resources, training and support for certification. In addition, we’re developing and promoting college-wide, cross-functional initiatives to reduce energy use and to adapt to a circular economy approach to tackle these issues, not just in research labs, but across everything that we do.”

Dumitru Anton, Green Labs Officer, Trinity, added: “We are proud that Trinity has 24 labs and lab teams that have been accredited as part of this pilot. This good news also gives us the opportunity to highlight that an additional 37 labs have been funded by Trinity Sustainability to achieve certification, and another 17 labs have successfully become accredited through their own initiatives and funding. Trinity Sustainability is now funding a further 50 labs to go through the certification process. If you are interested in participating and getting your lab certified, please reach out to the Sustainability Office.”

Making the certifications announcement, James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said: “Research involves more than exploration and discovery; it also demands attention to how we conduct our work and the impact it has on our communities and our planet. Research carries with it a responsibility to operate with integrity, to use resources wisely, and to ensure our pursuit of knowledge does not come at an unsustainable cost to the world around us.

“I warmly congratulate all the laboratory teams recognised today for their commitment to greener practices. This initiative, led by Research Ireland, marks a significant and encouraging step in placing sustainability at the centre of our national research system and signals Ireland’s intent to lead by example on climate-conscious innovation.”

• Tags:
• Environment
• Research
• Science
• Sustainability