The certification process occurs in five steps: assessment of practices, implementation of changes, scoring & certification, implementation of more changes and re-certification. To ensure continuous improvement, laboratories must re-certify every two years to maintain their status as a Green Lab. Currently, My Green Labs has certified approximately 700 labs in 29 countries.
In December 2019, Cúram was the first lab within the European Union to be My Green Lab certified. Since its certification, it has implemented many practices to foster a culture of sustainability within the work environment. One system that seeks to reduce energy consumption is a color coded sticker system. In this system, a sticker is placed on each piece of equipment and the color of the sticker indicates when it can be shut off. Instruments with a red sticker should never be shut off, instruments with a yellow sticker can be shut off at the end of the day or at the end of the procedure and instruments with a green sticker can be shut off immediately after use. They have also implemented improvements on instructions for recycling and swapped out plastic containers for reusable glass when applicable. In 2021, Cúram even participated in the S.F.I. funded “Plastics Challenge” that sought to reduce the use of single-use laboratory plastic products in the country.
The My Green Lab Certification at Cúram was followed by several more green certifications in labs across the University of Galway. In fact, the university adopted the initiative that all laboratories on campus would become certified by 2025.
