Harnessing the innovative ideas of employees
We are committed to put sustainability into practice with conviction and creativity for many years. Therefore, sustainability is a core task of research and a culture practiced by all employees. Crucial for the success of UFZ’s sustainability actions are participatory elements which encourage employees to submit own ideas to increase sustainability.
Detailed information on all measures and developments taken and planned in this area can be found in the annual, externally validated reports on environmental sustainability (environmental statements), including in the "Internal communication, participation and awareness-raising" chapter.
Examples of innovative ideas
Crucial for the success of UFZ’s sustainability actions are participatory elements which encourage employees to submit own ideas to increase sustainability such as the UFZ Sustainability Challenge in 2022. In contrast to expensive investments to improve sustainability, the employees were challenged to submit easily implementable ideas to increase the sustainability at the UFZ sites. More than 40 ideas were submitted and a jury chose the best three ideas to be realized.
Furthermore, environmental performance is improved in a transparent and participatory way through open exchange. Employees can also participate in a steering committee which discusses ideas and proposes potential measurements to the executive management. Every organizational unit has a contact person (“environmental contact person”), different exchange formats exists, and it is possible to submit ideas to increase sustainability at the UFZ at every time. Furthermore, employees collaborate or establish working groups to advance certain topics or to take part in challenges. One employee initiative acts as an interdisciplinary working group of scientists and administrative staff which supports a biodiversity-promoting, climate-adapted and carbon-neutral site where our research is put into practice.
These elements are supplemented by monitoring long-term key figures at organizational unit level transparently, to raise awareness and to identify further opportunities for improvement.
The external auditor for EMAS assesses the UFZ’s internal communication, awareness, and involvement of employees as well as the level of identification with the objectives of the environmental management system as outstanding.
As environmental impact of plastics is an important subject of our research, we also aim to reduce the use of the plastic product consumption. Employees support this claim and established a working group which focuses on the reduction of plastics, provides practical impetus like the fact sheet plastic reduction - tips for everyday laboratory work and compiled options for plastic-free starter kits for the laboratory and issued them to interested employees.
Detailed information on all measures taken and planned and developments in this area can be found in the annual, externally validated environmental sustainability reports (environmental statements), including in the "Resources" chapter.