Have you heard about the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge?

 

Some 2,000 labs around the world decided to participate in a fun, free, and simple competition last year. The participants were challenged to optimize their lab’s cold storage facility, enhancing its energy efficiency as a result. The annual competition, popular as the Freezer Challenge, began in 2017 when two nonprofits—My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories—joined forces to promote lab sustainability.

Last year, the Freezer Challenge resulted in 20.7 million kWh of energy savings, equivalent to the electricity consumed by more than 1,680 homes in the U.S. over one year. For the participants, they got to learn about best practices in sample management, including how to improve sample integrity, prevent risks, achieve greater energy efficiency, and save costs—all at the same time!

Canada’s McGill University participated in the challenge for the first time last year. With sixteen labs taking the initiative, they managed to conserve over 64,000 kWh, enough to power six Canadian homes for a year, and avoided 84.2 kg of CO2 emissions. Seeing the benefits, the university anticipates a much larger interest this year.

The ultra-low temperature freezer, a staple of cold storage laboratories, is among the most energy-hungry devices, each consuming more energy than a typical household. Through the challenge, participants are guided on the best practices for optimizing their lab’s cold storage, including the use of the ultra-low temperature freezer. This includes recommendations like removing frost buildup, cleaning freezer coils and filters, and improving sample inventories. With evidenced data to preserve research quality, participants can minimize costs while maximizing environmental impact.

When a research fellow in the lab of Edward Smith at the Boston Children’s Hospital enrolled her lab in the challenge in 2021, she didn’t expect much. “I think my lab saved about 20 kWh per day,” Julie Sesen said in an interview with Lab Manager magazine. In 2022, she motivated an institution-wide effort, and the impact was incredible: 463.8 kWh per day!

For Amsterdam UMC Biobank, they chose to focus on -80°C freezers. Allowing researchers to set -70°C as the standard temperature for long-term storage was a game changer. It resulted in savings of about 2,587 kWh/day, with the lab winning the Top Organization Award category in the 2023 Freezer Challenge.

Labs of any size and shape with a cold storage facility can participate in this challenge and set their target, big or small. The challenge provides researchers, from those working in small labs to global corporations, an opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and participate in a global movement. Witnessing the return on investment for their efforts, whether through cost savings or by winning the challenge, gives labs the opportunity to drive change rather than waiting for institutional directives.

Pharmaceutical companies are also stepping up to the challenge. One notable participant, the South San Francisco Biobank (owned by AstraZeneca), was among the winners in the pharmaceutical category for the 2022 challenge. With its primary emphasis on the long-term preservation and integrity of samples, the biobank's senior scientist, Raul Rios, emphasizes that the challenge offers more than just competition—it serves as a tool for education and awareness. By understanding the requirements of fellow laboratories and exchanging optimal methodologies with researchers, the initiative fosters invaluable learning and collaboration in the cold storage initiative.

With such a spirit of competition harnessed by the challenge, it helps to embed sustainability within the lab culture and enables researchers to actively lead the fundamental need for sustainability action.

Labs can sign up to participate in the 2024 challenge until the end of June. An online scoresheet helps to track progress and navigate submissions.

For inquiries, contact the OIST SDG Initiative at sdg@oist.jp.

 

References

  1. A cool competition for sustainable labs. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-019-00288-0
  2. A Global Movement Defining Sustainability in Laboratory Cold Storage | Lab Manager. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.labmanager.com/a-global-movement-defining-sustainability-in-laboratory-cold-storage-29188
  3. Accelerating Lab Sustainability: Insights on Cultural Change from the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge | Lab Manager. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.labmanager.com/accelerating-lab-sustainability-insights-on-cultural-change-from-the-international-laboratory-freezer-challenge-31337
  4. Get ready for the 2024 International Freezer Challenge - McGill Reporter. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://reporter.mcgill.ca/get-ready-for-the-2024-international-freezer-challenge/
  5. Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator | US EPA. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator#results
  6. Join the freezer challenge! Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/about/organization/join-the-freezer-challenge.htm
  7. New podcast episode: Biobanking Development - Amsterdam UMC’s International Freezer Challenge Win and Carbon Literacy - BBMRI-ERIC. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.bbmri-eric.eu/news-events/new-podcast-episode-biobanking-development-amsterdam-umcs-international-freezer-challenge-win-and-carbon-literacy/
  8. the challenge - International Laboratory Freezer Challenge. Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.freezerchallenge.org/the-challenge.html
  9. Thinking outside the icebox on lab sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2024, from https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-019-00121-8