Sustainable development actions of the unit

The management of the unit has stimulated the setting up of a working group dedicated to the ecological footprint of BFA research activities, which is in charge to establish an assessment of the situation and to present proposals to reduce such ecological footprint. The Laboratory Council approved this proposal in 2021.

The working group, headed by Valentina Sirri-Roussel, included half a dozen members representing the different categories of BFA personnel.

Several points of vigilance were retained among them are:

– The carbon footprint of missions (with air transport). No restrictive policy was envisaged, but priority may be given to young researchers.

– Waste management: paper, aluminum, dry ice…

– The impact of digital technology: computer equipment and use (turning off computers/putting them on standby), print management (double-sided, paper recycling), recycling of old computers.

After validation by the unit council, the working group listed good practices to limit the carbon footprint and waste during activities carried out in the laboratory. Among the instructions of this document:

– Reduce energy expenditure

– Reduce consumption

– Reuse instead of throwing away

– Sort waste by type for recycling

Overall, these practices are based on the recommendations of the labos1point 5 consortium (https://labos1point5.org/). In collaboration with the university competent services (logistics and sustainable development division), optimizations in the management of waste have been undertaken. Actions have also been undertaken to increase the energy efficiency of the laboratory (maintenance and adjustment of freezers in particular). These actions are in line with the energy sobriety plan of the establishment, which aims to reduce energy consumption by 2024.

The unit has informed the supervising bodies of the actions undertaken and participates in an initiative led at the level of several (about 20 by the end of 2022) UPCité laboratories (https://annuel2.framapad.org/p/labos-upcite-en-transition-9wps?lang=fr).