Don’t purchase laboratory equipment and/or supplies without consideration of environmental impact while maintaining diagnostic proficiency.

Laboratory testing contributes to a significant carbon footprint due to the required infrastructure (i.e. electricity, HVAC, water) and generated waste (i.e. biohazardous waste, plastic consumables). For example, a laboratory with 10 automated analyzers can consume enough water to fill an Olympic-sized pool annually. This is especially relevant as laboratories move towards increased automation and expanding test menus with a constant focus on throughput and turnaround time. While individual laboratories have agency on some of the contributing factors, the carbon footprint of laboratory testing is largely determined by the inherent design of the instrumentation. As such, it is vital that laboratories establish partnerships with the in vitro diagnostics industry to push for material, hardware, and software changes that allow for laboratory testing in an environmentally sustainable manner. There is a growing international movement in sustainable laboratory medicine with some associations already having published formal guidance in this space.