A low-carbon lab

A collective desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

It all began in September 2019. At the suggestion of a colleague at the Annual General Meeting, a small group of volunteers was set up to work on the "low-carbon lab" approach. An internal survey was carried out to identify staff motivations and the levers for action on which there was most consensus. This showed that we were ready to make a collective effort to achieve more sustainable research practices.

As researchers in the humanities and social sciences, our travel is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, especially long-distance missions: 65% of our CO2 emissions come from 25% of missions involving air travel. By analyzing previous years' missions, we identified and compared several options for reducing CO2 emissions in order to assess their impact. The challenge? To find a solution that is consistent with our laboratory's international profile and that respects the commitments of each and every employee throughout their career, while encouraging more virtuous practices in terms of travel.

In October 2021, we voted at the Annual General Meeting for a mechanism to allocate a collective carbon emission quota for air travel, coupled with an obligation to take the train when this alternative doesn't extend the journey by more than 6 hours.

How does it work in practice?

Firstly, for destinations where the train generally adds no more than 6 hours to the journey (i.e., more or less the countries bordering France), mission orders involving the plane are rejected unless a screen copy shows that the train extends the journey by more than 6 hours. Then, for all missions involving a journey of more than 3 hours and 30 minutes by plane, a request via an automated form is forwarded to the unit's management. Every 4 months, these requests are validated or put on hold, applying the priority rules voted at the AGM. The quota has been calculated on the basis of average annual emissions between 2017 and 2019. It is 39 tonnes of CO2 for 2022 and will be reduced to 31 tonnes in 2023 and 19 tonnes from 2024. The criteria for allocating the quota have been collectively validated. They may be reviewed each year by the Laboratory Council. They are simple in order to facilitate decision-making and ensure transparency of allocation. They include, in particular, the laboratory's representation in international projects, the length of the stay, the stage of the applicant's career, and previous years' programs, in a pre-established order. Thus, long stays rich in international collaboration and travel by doctoral students, post-docs, or researchers preparing their HDR are given priority.

Presentations and tools

• Results of the January 2020 survey
• The corresponding questionnaire in Limesurvey and Word format
• First proposal to the AGM in January 2021
• Presentation and vote at the AGM in October 2021
• Flight request feedback tool, with automatic calculation of associated emissions
• Reminder mail from management sent every 4 months.

If you would like more information on this process, please do not hesitate to contact the laboratory.