Environment and sustainability in Biomedicum

Reducing the environmental and climate impact of activities in Biomedicum requires commitment from everyone who works in the building. Many small everyday actions can together have a significant effect, while also contributing to a safe and resource-efficient working environment.
Here you will find examples of how you can make more sustainable choices in laboratories, office areas and shared spaces. You can also read about ongoing sustainability initiatives in Biomedicum.

Always contact FM Biomedicum if you suspect a leak (for example, compressed air or other media) or if lighting or equipment is not working as it should.

Reduce energy use in ventilated spaces

Fume cupboards are among the laboratory’s largest energy users. By keeping the sash closed when the fume cupboard is not in use, energy use can be reduced by up to 80 per cent.

You can help by:

keeping fume cupboard sashes closed when work is not in progress
putting ventilated benches into standby mode where possible
switching off local exhaust ventilation that is not in use

Smiley label for fume cupboards Photo: Johanna Eriksson Brehmer

Current sustainability initiative: Energy saving in fume cupboards

Keeping the fume cupboard sash closed can reduce energy consumption by 75–80 per cent. To help reduce energy use, the property owner Akademiska Hus has produced a smiley-face sticker to remind users to close the sash when the fume cupboard is not in use.

During autumn 2026, Biomedicum’s environmental and sustainability representatives will place stickers on all fume cupboards in the building. The impact of the campaign on energy use will then be monitored and evaluated by the joint sustainability group of Karolinska Institutet and Akademiska Hus.

Improve the efficiency of fridges and freezers

Laboratory freezers are among the most energy-intensive pieces of equipment in research environments.

To reduce energy use, you can:

coordinate storage between groups where possible
keep inventory systems well organised
avoid storing materials that are no longer needed
defrost freezers regularly in line with the organisation’s procedures

Review the quantity of chemicals

Safe handling of chemicals is important from both an occupational health and safety and an environmental perspective. Chemicals that have passed their expiry date or are no longer used take up space, and the product’s properties may have changed over time.

You can help by:

choosing less hazardous alternatives where possible
using chemicals responsibly
regularly reviewing and clearing out chemicals that are no longer used

Sort hazardous waste correctly

Each year, just over 75 tons of yellow boxes containing sharp and infectious hazardous waste are sent from Biomedicum’s laboratories for incineration.

You can reduce the amount of hazardous waste by:

only sorting material that is sharp or infectious into yellow hazardous waste boxes.

Material that has not been in contact with infectious substances and/or chemicals with hazard pictograms for “Acute toxicity”, “Serious health hazard” and/or “Hazardous to the environment” can be recycled in, for example, the plastics fraction.

Reduce waste and increase reuse

Preventing waste is often more effective than recycling it. Through mindful purchasing and correct sorting at source, the amount of waste can be reduced while recycling increases and costs and environmental impact are lowered. At Biomedicum, we are working to increase the reuse of equipment and consumables.

In particular, remember to:

choose the correct waste fraction
sort as much waste at source as possible
reduce the amount of disposable materials where operations allow
small equipment and materials can be left on the give-and-take table on level 2
larger equipment can be advertised on KI’s internal buy-and-sell page

Ongoing sustainability initiatives: Better recycling facilities in the dining halls

To increase recycling in the dining halls, FM Biomedicum is developing containers for recycling more waste streams during autumn 2026.

Sustainable choices in office premises

Office environments also offer opportunities to reduce energy use and use resources more efficiently.

Lighting

At Biomedicum, almost all light fittings use presence-controlled LED lighting to reduce environmental impact. By using presence-controlled lighting, we can save up to 80% in energy use compared with standard light switches.

To help reduce energy use, you can:

report light fittings that do not switch off when the room is empty to the FM Helpdesk.
adjust lighting as needed
coordinate activities so that fewer areas need to be lit at the same time