Henkel Ireland has been awarded My Green Lab Green certification. The Irish site is the first of Henkel’s global labs to achieve this status. My Green Lab, a non-profit organisation, works closely with labs all over the world to support them in achieving their sustainability goals.
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Henkel Ireland becomes first lab in global company to be awarded My Green Lab Green certification
The Tallaght based site commenced its My Green Lab journey in the summer of 2022 when chosen labs increased efforts to improve the sustainability practices in each of their labs.
As part of the process, four lab champions either volunteered or were chosen to take the lead on improving practices within the lab. A common finding from the lab champions was that making simple changes that promote shifts in behaviour such as bringing in a recycling bin or using stickers to remind people to turn lights off, are key measures in improving sustainability practices.
A steering committee was also set up, which was led by Margaret Jacob, SHE Specialist at Henkel, which took a ground-up approach to the process. Regular meetings were held with the lab champions to keep track of progress in each lab. An action plan was put in place to aid with improving sustainability efforts in the lab and the lab champions were in charge of ensuring this was monitored on a regular basis.
Some of the actions which the labs brought in included installing a water circulator which helped the team to save 40,000 litres of water in one lab alone. Another was to reduce the diameter on their ion chromatography instrument which led to a 75% reduction in waste.
The My Green Lab Green certification was awarded to the four labs in the summer of 2023, recognising the extensive work carried out to reduce its environmental impact. It also acknowledges the implementation of sustainable practices, energy efficiency measures, and waste reduction strategies. The team’s next step is to achieve the certification across the whole facility.
Henkel’s sustainability strategy aims to achieve practical progress. While the global company has had a lot of success and is proud of its achievements, there is recognition that there is still have work to do. Henkel Ireland hopes that its achievement of receiving My Green Lab Green certification will inspire other Henkel labs around the world to do the same.
Commenting on the achievement, Hugh Fay, Manager of Analytical Solutions Group at Henkel Ireland, said: “We are proud to become the first Henkel lab to achieve My Green Lab Green certification, which demonstrates our dedication to creating a sustainable facility. At Henkel, we are pioneers at heart and we aim to drive new solutions for sustainable development. With this accolade, we want to inspire and encourage other labs to follow suit and embark on their own sustainability journeys. We believe that by sharing our experience and success, we can motivate and support other Henkel facilities to adopt similar green practices. We hope to create a ripple effect, where more labs actively contribute to environmental sustainability and collectively strive towards a greener future.”
