green Labs

Driving Sustainability with Green Labs Certification

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Green Labs Certification program has taken root and is growing dramatically, with 462 labs at 11 company facilities now certified – up from 60 labs at four locations in 2014. We invest heavily in our research and development and as a result, our labs are large consumers of resources and thus present significant opportunities for improving environmental impact.

Green Labs uses a team approach to minimize the use of energy, water, material goods and hazardous chemicals in laboratories, without compromising research integrity or safety. The program recognizes and encourages employees who reduce the environmental impact of their laboratory work and keep such efforts high among their priorities.

The main component of the program is an electronic scorecard that evaluates “green” practices within lab spaces and calculates a score. Labs exceeding the threshold score are then awarded one of four certification levels: aspiring, certified, gold and platinum. The scorecard tracks progress in multiple categories – energy, water, waste, administration, process, communication and collaboration, measuring both the physical and behavioral components of lab practices and evaluating the way scientists use their space.

The program also collects feedback regarding best practices and innovation that can be applied by all labs to make further environmental improvements and increase their certification levels over time.

The program is intended to recognize and educate our scientists on sustainable lab practices.

- John Murray, Lawrenceville Facilities Site Director