20.500.12556/RUP-23574 Practical protocols for improving safety and sustainability in multidisciplinary research laboratories Small and medium-sized multidisciplinary research laboratories often lack specialized systems for chemical safety and sustainability. In many countries, including those with limited or no national regulations for small-scale chemical users, this creates additional challenges for implementing effective safety practices. As a result, chemical inventories are often fragmented and insufficiently managed, increasing safety risks. Additionally, solvents and empty containers are often discarded, despite their potential for recovery and reuse. This article presents a low-cost, user-friendly protocol comprising three complementary components: Shared Chemical Inventory, Solvent Reuse Strategy and Container Repurposing guide designed to improve laboratory safety and sustainability in settings where formal regulations are limited or absent. The protocol was designed for direct accessibility without additional infrastructure or financial investments. Implemented at a medium-sized research institute located in Europe, it achieved an almost 30% reduction in the total chemical waste mass. With its integration in onboarding and simple training modules, the protocol improves safety compliance, reduces cost of virgin solvents, and minimizes chemical waste disposal. Relying on existing laboratory resources demonstrates that principles of responsible chemistry can be effectively applied at the laboratory level without financial investments through voluntary, culturally embraced practices, even in the absence of extensive regulation. Its scalability and adaptability suggest broad relevance for other small- and medium-sized research laboratories, including teaching laboratories and start-ups, contributing to both chemical safety and sustainability goals. Majhni in srednje veliki multidisciplinarni raziskovalni laboratoriji pogosto nimajo specializiranih sistemov za kemijsko varnost in trajnostnost. V številnih državah, tudi v tistih z omejeno ali brez nacionalne zakonodaje za uporabnike kemikalij v manjšem obsegu, to povzroča dodatne izzive pri izvajanju učinkovitih varnostnih praks. Posledično so evidence kemikalij pogosto razdrobljene in neustrezno upravljane, kar povečuje varnostna tveganja. Poleg tega se topila in prazne vsebnike pogosto zavrže, čeprav jih je mogoče predelati in ponovno uporabiti. V članku je predstavljen cenovno ugoden in uporabniku prijazen protokol, sestavljen iz treh dopolnjujočih se komponent: skupne evidence kemikalij (Shared Chemical Inventory), strategije ponovne uporabe topil (Solvent Reuse Strategy) in vodnika za ponovno uporabo vsebnikov (Container Repurposing Guide). Protokol je zasnovan za izboljšanje laboratorijske varnosti in trajnostnosti v okoljih, kjer je formalna regulativa omejena ali je sploh ni. Zasnovan je tako, da je neposredno dostopen brez potrebe po dodatni infrastrukturi ali finančnih naložbah. Protokol, uveden na srednje velikem raziskovalnem inštitutu v Evropi, je omogočil skoraj 30-odstotno zmanjšanje skupne mase kemičnih odpadkov. Z vključitvijo protokola v postopke uvajanja novih zaposlenih in preproste module usposabljanja se izboljšuje skladnost z varnostnimi zahtevami, zmanjšujejo stroški nakupa novih topil ter količina kemičnih odpadkov, namenjenih odstranjevanju. Uporaba obstoječih laboratorijskih virov kaže, da je mogoče načela odgovornega ravnanja s kemikalijami učinkovito izvajati na ravni laboratorija brez finančnih naložb, in sicer s prostovoljnimi praksami, ki so kulturno sprejete, tudi v odsotnosti obsežne regulative. Možnost širjenja in prilagajanja protokola kaže na njegovo široko uporabnost v drugih majhnih in srednje velikih raziskovalnih laboratorijih, vključno z učnimi laboratoriji in zagonskimi podjetji, ter na njegov prispevek k ciljem kemijske varnosti in trajnostnosti. laboratory safety sustainability chemical inventory solvent recovery chemical waste minimization container reuse circular laboratory practices multidisciplinary laboratories true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-09-08 11:27:40 2026-09-08 11:27:41 2026-09-09 03:08:10 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 33-39 no. 1 Vol. 33 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-01-12 542.1 1878-0504 10.1021/acs.chas.5c00163 264289539 RAZ_Pajerski_Wojciech_2026.pdf RAZ_Pajerski_Wojciech_2026.pdf 1 1CA330F08BD7C6DAE39DD3BEA1C1A869 281731483865de0aeab22deb91e38a0bb15c25ec60a1cea201ed34483c2009e9 7bf19c45-ab67-11f1-9e8d-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=35000 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chas.5c00163 1 471efaf7-ab67-11f1-9e8d-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=34999 Inštitut Andrej Marušič 0 0 0