Webinar: Laboratories and ethical sourcing: best practice in sustainable procurement

What is this webinar about?

Laboratories and Ethical Sourcing: Why It Matters

Laboratories are critical to the work of Higher Education, Medical sector, Pharmaceuticals, and research institutions—but the sustainability impact of lab procurement is often overlooked. From high energy consumption to chemical waste, water use, and supply chain risks, this category presents unique challenges. This session will explore how to embed ethical sourcing into laboratory procurement, considering environmental, social, and economic impacts.

Real-World Examples and Practical Tools

With insights from Imperial College, LUPC, and My Green Lab, attendees will gain practical examples of challenges faced and solutions applied—from procurement frameworks and supplier engagement to eco-labelling and infrastructure improvements. The session will also highlight tools and resources that support ethical sourcing in laboratories.

Why should I attend?

By the end of this webinar, attendees will:

• Identify the key sustainability risks and opportunities in laboratory procurement
• Understand how consortia frameworks and supplier dialogue support ethical sourcing
• Learn from real-world examples
• Gain practical knowledge of tools such as the ACT eco-label and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

Who should attend?

Target audience: This session is aimed at Procurement professionals, sustainability managers, category buyers, and operational leads within Higher Education, the NHS and the medical sector, pharmaceuticals and research institutions, and public sector bodies involved in laboratory procurement or responsible sourcing.

Session difficulty: This is an intermediate-level session.

About the speakers

Mellita D’Silva – Lead Consultant, Action Sustainability

Mellita has worked in Procurement, Supply Chain Management and Sustainability for over 20 years. She has experience embedding sustainability into procurement and supply chains for clients including the NHS, Imperial College, LUPC, Local authorities and various Governments.

Zafar Khan – Category Manager for Laboratory and Research, Imperial College London

Responsible for leading and managing procurement activities in the Laboratory category, aligning procurement to Imperial’s sustainability strategy and supporting suppliers to drive their sustainability agendas.

Allison Hunter – Technical Operations Manager, Imperial College London

As Technical Operations Manager, Allison Hunter provides key strategic support for the management of technical staff, research support and administration, building management and the equipment and laboratory safety for the Department of Life Sciences. She was heavily involved in keeping the labs running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and was recently awarded the prestigious Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Fellowship.

Dulan Liyanage – ACT Sustainability Partnerships Manager, My Green Lab

Dulan supports the outreach and expansion of the ACT Ecolabel Program to lab product manufacturers. He advocates for sustainable science and aims to reduce environmental footprints through collective action.

Antonio Ramirez – Framework Manager for Lab Categories, London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC)

Senior Category Manager

Antonio manages the STEMed and Laboratory Category at LUPC. He is also responsible for the eprocurement system, electronics, furniture, utilities and veterinary supplies.

Will Gee – Interim Sustainable Procurement Manager, Imperial College London

Will has dedicated his career to supporting organisations that set ambitious environmental goals and navigating the ESG landscape. One of his proudest achievements has been spearheading initiatives at Freddie’s Flowers to attain B-Corp certification, PAS 2060 Carbon Neutral certification and establish Science-Based Targets.

Register Now & Secure Your Spot!

Don’t miss this chance to explore how ethical sourcing can transform laboratory procurement across higher education, healthcare, and research. Learn practical approaches and tools from industry experts to tackle sustainability challenges in labs.

This session is free to attend.