New Perspectives in Science Education

The integration of sustainability principles is increasingly vital in scientific education, as laboratory practices often have a high environmental footprint [1]. This project aimed to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) [2] into existing laboratory courses in biomedical analysis and teacher education in Sweden. Instead of introducing separate green chemistry modules, the project linked existing laboratory exercises to relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The core intervention involved developing a “sustainability analysis table” to simplify the assessment of activities and revising laboratory instructions to include SDG symbols and embedded discussion questions. This approach provided a structured, low-barrier method for instructors to revise activities and encouraged staff engagement. Students were introduced to the sustainability framework through revised lab instructions displaying SDG symbols, an attached sustainability analysis table that linked SDG goals to specific practical moments, and short discussion prompts connecting experimental choices to SDGs. Evaluation of student outcomes showed that 85% of students recognized the SDG symbols and their relevance, 49% included sustainability aspects in their laboratory planning (compared with 10% in the previous cohort), and 34% explicitly related their work to SDGs. Students who had participated in the intervention generated 33% less single-use plastic waste in a subsequent course, indicating a measurable behavioral effect. However, teachers observed that increased awareness was not always reflected in students’ actions during laboratory sessions, highlighting that continuous interventions and additional moments with SDGs in focus are needed for students to fully adopt sustainable practices and attitudes. Moreover, the activities most frequently addressed only two of the SDGs: SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Overall, this project demonstrates that small, well-structured modifications to laboratory instructions can effectively enhance sustainability awareness among staff and students and promote more responsible practices in scientific education.