LAQV REQUIMTE/ NOVA FCT Analytical Laboratory achieves the highest sustainability rating in international certification

The LAQV REQUIMTE Analytical Laboratory, operating since 2002 in the Department of Chemistry at NOVA FCT, has been awarded the “Green” certification by the international organization My Green Lab, the highest level in this sustainability ranking. This is the first laboratory across the NOVA University network to receive this recognition.

 Providing a wide range of analytical resources not only to LAQV REQUIMTE and NOVA FCT research groups but also to other research centers and national and international companies, the laboratory processes more than 10,000 samples per year using high energy–intensity equipment. To urgently reduce its ecological footprint, the laboratory has, over recent months, implemented measures to reduce and optimize resources — an effort integrated into the sustainability certification strategy promoted by the NOVA Rectorate, with the support of NOVA FCT, through its Board and the Division of Sustainability and Green Spaces.

 In early September, My Green Lab granted the Analytical Laboratory the “Green” rating, a clear recognition of the team’s efforts. This “Green” level represents the top of the scale used by the organization to assess laboratories and means that the NOVA FCT facility already complies with over 80% of sustainability best practices — from energy, water, and waste management to the efficient use of equipment, reagents, materials, and processes.

 This recognition reinforces LAQV REQUIMTE's and NOVA FCT’s commitment to promoting excellence in science, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the transition towards a greener society.

 On September 12, the plaque unveiling ceremony took place — a symbolic moment attended by the Director of NOVA FCT, the Head of the Department and the Coordinator of the Laboratory, as well as colleagues and guests. This initiative reinforces the recognition of the academic and scientific contributions developed within the Department and the Research Center.

In the photos: Moments of the plaque unveiling ceremony. Photos by João Lima/NOVA FCT