The 2024 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge program has set a new benchmark in sustainability, with a record-breaking 31.8 million kWh of energy savings through the combined efforts of program participants! This translates to 22,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided—an over 50% increase from last year’s challenge!

My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) are proud to announce that in addition to these groundbreaking results, the 2024 challenge saw unprecedented participation from 3,026 labs in 35 countries. The collective efforts of participating labs translate to the energy savings equivalent of 5,296 gas-powered cars driven for one year.

The Freezer Challenge is a free competition designed to promote energy efficiency through best practices in lab cold storage management. Since its inception in 2017, the program has saved a total of 76.5 million kWh, making it a key driver of sustainable laboratory practices. This year’s remarkable growth signals a strong and accelerating commitment within the scientific community to embrace energy efficiency and sustainability, showcasing the transformative power of small, actionable changes.

“The outstanding results of the 2024 Freezer Challenge are a testament to the relentless commitment of scientists and lab professionals around the globe,” says James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab. “The significant rise in energy savings not only highlights the growing adoption of sustainable practices but also reinforces that collective action in labs can drive substantial environmental benefits.”

2024 Freezer Challenge Winners

This remarkable success is owed to the hard work and dedication of scientists and lab professionals from 239 participating organizations in this year’s Freezer Challenge. With more than 35,000 cold storage units involved, significant efforts were made to implement practices that enhance energy efficiency, ensure sample accessibility, and maintain sample integrity.

While every participating lab has made valuable contributions to energy reduction, we are excited to spotlight those who excelled in the 2024 Freezer Challenge. Winners were determined based on a combination of points accumulated from sustainable practices and the overall energy savings achieved by each lab. They will be recognized at the I2SL Annual Conference on September 29th – October 2nd in St. Louis, Missouri , and featured in an upcoming Lab Manager magazine article.

Additionally, we are thrilled to host a virtual awards ceremony to honor these exceptional labs, with open invitations extended to anyone who wishes to join in the celebration. 

List of Our 2024 Winners

Note: Winning Streak Awards are given to previous year’s winners who exceeded their energy savings from last year. 

Biotech/Pharmaceutical Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award: Amgen – 7,671 kWh/day saved
• Winning Streak Award: AstraZeneca – 7,962 kWh/day saved
• Large Lab Award​: Boston Research – Biology, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (United States) – 438 kWh/day saved
• Medium Lab Award: Sample Management Harrogate, Labcorp (United Kingdom) – 281 kWh/day saved
• Small Lab Award: Gothenburg Regional HBS Centre, AstraZeneca (Sweden) – 165 kWh/day saved
• Biorepository Award: Specimen Library, Bristol Myers Squibb (United States) – 307.15 kWh/day saved
• Biorepository Winning Streak Award: Labcorp Biorepository, Labcorp Central Laboratory Services (United States) – 3,869 kWh/day saved

Academic Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (United States) – 1,339 kWh/day saved
• Lab Winning Streak Award: Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee GI Oncology Lab School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University (United States) – 154 kWh/day saved
• Large Lab Award​: Lab + in the School of Life Sciences, Coventry University (United Kingdom) – 59 kWh/day saved
• Medium Lab Award: Histocompatibility Laboratory, University of Michigan (United States) –80 kWh/day saved
• Small Lab Award: Yau Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (United States) – 114 kWh/day saved
• Biorepository Award: Cell Culture Facility (ICV-3C), The Paris Brain Institute (France) – 73 kWh/day saved

Hospital/Clinical/Other Winners

• Top Organization Award: Boston Children’s Hospital (United States) – 843 kWh/day saved
• Large Lab Award​: Laboratory Medicine Group, University Hospital Padova (Italy) – 131 kWh/day saved
• Medium Lab Award: Genetica Medica, Synlab Italia (Italy) – 51 kWh/day saved
• Small Lab Award: Scientific Research and Innovation Services Laboratory, Synnovis (United Kingdom) – 79 kWh/day saved
• Biorepository Award: IQVIA Biorepository, Q2 Solutions (United States) – 845 kWh/day saved

Government Sector Winners

• Top Organization Award:​ Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama) – 159 kWh/day saved
• Winning Streak Award: National Institutes of Health (United States) – 3,074 kWh/day saved
• Large Lab Award​: Drug Safety Testing Center, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (Hong Kong) – 41 kWh/day saved
• Medium Lab Award: Central Laboratory, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (United States) – 44 kWh/day saved 
• Small Lab Award: Trink und Abwasserlabor, Hamburg Water (Germany) – 25 kWh/day saved
• Biorepository Award: Center for Cancer Research, Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (United States) – 442 kWh/day saved

Honorable Mentions

Organizations (all sectors):

• University of Michigan
• Leiden University Medical Center
• SYNLAB Group
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• The University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Sanofi
• Labcorp
• Evotec

  Labs (all sectors, all lab sizes):

•  Johnson & Johnson, Oncology Spring House
• Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hepa-Gastro
• Evotec, Hamburg, Sample Management Lab
• IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) Madison Process R&D Lab
• Labcorp, Mechelen Biorepository
• Precision for Medicine, NHLBI
• University of British Columbia, UBC BioBank
• AstraZeneca South San Francisco (SSF) Biobank