Green Washing: A Sustainability Checklist

Outfitting a lab is no longer just about product features. The sustainability of a product has become just as important, if not more than its specifications.

Planning a lab that meet’s today’s requirements for sustainability is a top demand for lab planners and architects. Every part of the process, from the design of the room to determination of heating and cooling systems to the actual selection of fume hoods, ovens and lab washers, is driven by a greater plan to achieve ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation or to ensure the lab is more energy efficient than before.

Selecting products for the lab has grown beyond an analysation of features, benefits and performance to the sustainability measures of a product. In many cases, the more sustainability a product boasts, the higher the price tag. So how does the planner argue for the additional expense of high-end, high-performing green product in a market that is focussed on the bottom line? He or she has to delve beyond the features and benefits and examine the total cost of ownership of the specified product.