sus ainabili y
P ojec Repo
C ea ing a G een Chemis y Lab: Towa ds
Sus ainable Resou ce Managemen and
Responsible Pu chasing
Junkal Gu ie ez 1,2 , A a e San aolalla 1, Agnieszka Te cjak 2, Naia a Rojo 1,
Dolo es Encinas 1, Zu iñe Gomez-de-Baluge a 1and Go ka Gallas egui 1,*
1Depa men o Chemical and En i onmen al Enginee ing, Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz,
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU), C/Nie es Cano 12, 01006 Vi o ia-Gas eiz, Spain;
[email p o ec ed] (J.G.); [email p o ec ed] (A.S.); naia a. [email p o ec ed] (N.R.);
[email p o ec ed] (D.E.); [email p o ec ed] (Z.G.-d.-B.)
2G oup ‘Ma e ials+Technologies’ (GMT), Depa men o Chemical and En i onmen al Enginee ing,
Facul y o Enginee ing Gipuzkoa, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y (UPV/EHU), Plaza Eu opa 1,
20018 Donos ia-San Sebas ian, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: go kaja ie [email p o ec ed]
Recei ed: 23 Sep embe 2020; Accep ed: 26 Oc obe 2020; Published: 27 Oc obe 2020
Abs ac :
The main goal o his p ojec was o imp o e he e iciency and sus ainabili y o he chemis y
eaching labo a o ies o he Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz (Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y
(UPV/EHU)). Wi h his aim, h ee di e en ac ions we e de eloped. The i s wo ac ions aspi ed o
achie e and main ain o de and maximize e iciency wi hin he acili ies. Wi h his in mind, he i s
phase in ol ed ca ying ou an in en o y, classi ying, and ea anging all he chemical p oduc s in he
wa ehouse using a compu e s o age sys em. Secondly, 5S lean me hodology was implemen ed in he
labo a o ies. The inal phase included he de elopmen o a p o ocol o a join pu chasing s a egy
o chemical eagen s ha os e ed a mo e esponsible and sus ainable acquisi ion and managemen o
he subs ances used in a ious depa men s o he UPV/EHU. This p o ocol plays a key ole in he
ansi ion owa ds he Ci cula Economy and i s impo ance lies in he ac ha i could be ex ended
o o he depa men s and acul ies wi h simila needs. This p ojec was de eloped du ing las wo
academic yea s (2017/2019) in he ame o he Campus Bizia Lab P og amme, an ini ia i e c ea ed o
add ess sus ainabili y challenges wi hin he Uni e si y.
Keywo ds: chemis y lab; ci cula economy; heal hy en i onmen s; 5S me hodology
1. In oduc ion
In Sep embe 2015, he Uni ed Na ions es ablished “Agenda 2030 o Sus ainable De elopmen ”
wi h 17 “Sus ainable De elopmen Goals” (SDGs) and 169 a ge s o he yea 2030. This agenda
ecei ed he adhesion o 193 coun ies, which commi ed o mobilize all he necessa y means o
implemen i . Albei global in na u e, ma e s ela ed o sus ainable de elopmen a e bes handled
a he local le el, and, hus, he in ol emen o mac opoli ical ins i u ions mus il e down o hose
le els o au ho i y closes o he ci izen. One example o his is he “EHUagenda 2030, Fo sus ainable
de elopmen ”, a ou e map seeking o b ing he wo k o he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y
(UPV/EHU) in o line wi h he plane ’s bigges challenges, mo ing owa ds a e i iable, p agma ic
con ibu ion. Among o he objec i es, EHUAgenda 2030 goes in pu sui o a consis en in eg a ion
o he speci ic local e o s o s uden s, eaching s a , esea che s, and adminis a ion and se ices
pe sonnel in connec ion wi h he SDGs.
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934; doi:10.3390/su12218934 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 2 o 15
Sus ainable managemen and de elopmen seeks o p o ec human heal h and he heal h o he
plane . This s a egy in ends o consolida e goals, such as op imizing he consump ion o ma e ials and
esou ces o esponsible managemen o he was e gene a ed, pa ing he way o a ci cula economy
model [1].
Nowadays, he concep o “ci cula economy” is ending in all ields and a all le els om
child en o adul s (ci izenship, companies, o ganiza ions and uni e si ies, among o he s). As epo ed
by Scopus da abase (2020) [
2
], he exponen ial g ow h o he numbe o publica ions ela ed o his
opic om 190 in 2015 o 1300 in a sho pe iod o h ee yea s gi es an idea o i s magni ude. Rega ding
i s applicabili y, Figu e 1clea ly shows he mul idisciplina y le el o his opic.
Figu e 1.
Published scien i ic a icles ha con ain he e m ci cula economy: (
a
) Analyzed pe yea ;
(b) by subjec a ea.
The e o e, he absence o a s anda d de ini ion o his concep is easy o unde s and [
3
]. Howe e ,
an accu a e de ini ion was p oposed by Kalmyko a and cowo ke s (2018) [
4
]: “A ci cula economy
is an al e na i e o a adi ional linea economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep esou ces in
use o as long as possible, ex ac he maximum alue om hem whils in use, hen eco e and
egene a e p oduc s and ma e ials a he end o each se ice li e”. In conclusion, he ci cula economy
cons i u es a pa adigm ha acili a es he ansi ion o o ganiza ions o a mo e sus ainable model [1].
Taking in o accoun he close ela ionship be ween ci cula economy and sus ainable managemen
and de elopmen , he uni e si y sec o has begun in ecen yea s o add ess bo h e ms and o engage
wi h he ambi ious challenge o in oducing a shi in he o de o p io i ies o ci izenship. Some o
hese ini ia i es include he uly pionee ing and inno a i e ci cula economy-o ien ed esea ch and
eaching p og ams de eloped by he Uni e si y o B ad o d, Del Uni e si y o Technology, A izona
S a e Uni e si y, and Uni e si y College London, amongs o he s. All o hem a e pa ne s o he Ellen
MacA hu Founda ion, which wo ks wi h highe educa ion ins i u ions wo ldwide o de elop, sha e,
and scale ci cula economy lea ning [5].
Wi hin his amewo k, he UPV/EHU has also assumed he challenge o con ibu e cons uc i ely
and c i ically o he p omo ion o he ci cula economy. To ha end, UPV/EHU c ea ed he so-called
“Campus Bizia Lab P og amme” (CBLP) in 2016 o ackle sus ainabili y challenges wi hin he
Uni e si y [
6
]. This ini ia i e is a ollow-up o he “Uni e si y Educa o s o Sus ainable De elopmen ”
p ojec included in he Eu opean Union Li elong Lea ning P og amme 2007/2013 o educa ion and
aining. CBLP was c ea ed unde he umb ella o he Sus ainabili y Di ec o a e and Educa ional
Ad iso y Se ice wi h he objec i e o p omo ing a close wo king ela ionship be ween he di e en
membe s o he Uni e si y: Teaching and Resea ch S a , Adminis a ion and Se ices S a , and s uden s,
wi h he la e playing a pi o al ole as hey a e he p ima y use s o campus se ices [7].
The wo k desc ibed he ein was ca ied ou du ing wo academic yea s (2017/2019) in he amewo k
o CBLP o he UPV/EHU. The p ojec in ol ed h ee di e en ac ions, each o hem e lec ed in an
End-o -Deg ee p ojec .
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 3 o 15
2. F amewo k
The i s wo ac ions o he p ojec aspi ed o achie e and main ain o de and maximize e iciency
by means o 5S me hodology in he eaching labo a o ies and wa ehouse o he Chemical and
En i onmen al Enginee ing Depa men o he Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz (UPV/EHU).
As e lec ed in i s S a egic Plan 2015/2018 [
8
], his ins i u ion aspi es o ain g adua es in he p inciples
o sus ainable de elopmen , as well as in alues, such as p o essional e hics, coope a ion, commi men ,
and in eg i y, undamen al in enginee s ha will be ca alys s o change in socie y. The Facul y is
o med by app oxima ely 110 eache s, 23 adminis a ion and se ices s a , and 850 s uden s. Cu en ly,
i p o ides ou -yea deg ee p og ams o i e di e en bachelo ’s deg ees (Mechanical Enginee ing,
Indus ial Elec onic Enginee ing and Au oma ic, Compu e Managemen and In o ma ion Sys ems
Enginee ing, Indus ial Chemical Enginee ing, and Au omo i e Enginee ing) h ough he pa icipa ion
o 15 Depa men s among which he Chemical and En i onmen al Enginee ing Depa men is included.
Membe s o he la e Depa men o med he eam o his p ojec .
The hi d ac i i y consis ed in he de elopmen a p o ocol o a join pu chasing s a egy o chemical
eagen s. In o de o a ain his a ge , ou pa ne s joined his pilo p ojec : Th ee Depa men s a he
Á
la a Campus and one a he Bizkaia Campus o he UPV/EHU, which we e oge he in cha ge o
12 di e en expe imen al subjec s wi h an a endance o mo e han 700 s uden s pe yea (Table 1).
Table 1. Lis o p ojec pa ne s and expe imen al subjec s in ol ed.
Campus Cen e Bachelo /Mas e Deg ee Depa men Subjec
ÁLAVA/ARABA
Facul y o Enginee ing
Vi o ia-Gas eiz
Indus ial Chemical
Enginee ing
Chemical and
En i onmen al Enginee ing
Chemical P inciples o
Enginee ing
Expe imen a ion in
Chemical Enginee ing
Facul y o Pha macy
Vi o ia-Gas eiz
En i onmen al Sciences Analy ical Chemis y Analysis o Pollu an s
Con amina ion Case S udies
Ino ganic Chemis y Chemis y I
Foods Science and
Technology
Analy ical Chemis y Chemical Analysis
Ino ganic Chemis y Nano echnology
Oenology Analy ical Chemis y Oenology
Pha macy
Analy ical Chemis y Analy ical Chemis y
Ino ganic Chemis y Gene al and Ino ganic
Chemis y
Fo ensic analysis Analy ical Chemis y
Toxicology
Fo ensic Analy ical
Chemis y
BIZKAIA
Facul y o Enginee ing
in Bilbao
Ad anced Ma e ials
Enginee ing
Mining and Me allu gical
Enginee ing and Ma e ials
Science
S uc u e and P ope ies o
Polyme ic Ma e ials
Indus ial Technology
Enginee ing
Mining and Me allu gical
Enginee ing and Ma e ials
Science
S uc u al Ma e ials:
in-se ice beha iou and
ac u e mechanics
3. Objec i es
The i s wo ac ions o his p ojec we e ocused on he 5S me hodology, he main goal o which is o
elimina e non- alue adding p ocesses by s anda dizing wo king me hods and c ea ing a well-o ganized
wo king en i onmen [
9
]. In ou pa icula case, such an ac ion was se in o de o p e en ime
was ing, o educe walking dis ances and, mos impo an ly, o inc ease sa e y and p e en ion.
Besides, he hi d ac ion add essed a b oade and mo e ambi ious objec i e as achie ing he
ansi ion o a ci cula economy de eloping a p o ocol o a join pu chasing s a egy o chemical
eagen s o he en i e Uni e si y (UPV/EHU) ha enables mo e esponsible and sus ainable acquisi ion
and managemen o hese subs ances.
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 4 o 15
4. Sus ainable E o s Make a Di e ence
The chemical wa ehouses and labo a o ies o bo h Uni e si ies and Technology Cen e s en ail
a se ies o speci ic p oblems ha p o oke he was e o esou ces and he excessi e gene a ion o
haza dous was es. As epo ed by Dolgin (2018) [
10
], he e a e six main easons ha con ibu e o he
accumula ion o chemical eagen s and o he disused ma e ials (Figu e 2). The ac ha , o wha e e
eason, a la ge amoun o esou ces a e was ed, whe he in he o m o labo a o y equipmen o
chemical subs ances, causes an unnecessa y expense o he ins i u ions.
Figu e 2.
Mos commonly epea ed easons o which equipmen and o he lab issues all in o disuse
in wa ehouses o educa ional cen e s and esea ch acili ies. Adap ed om [10].
Besides, gi en he absence o a esponsible manage wi h ull au ho i y o decide wha o do wi h
hese kinds o ma e ials he e is a endency o ac acco ding o he maxim ha any hing ha is no
used should be kep o a hypo he ical u he applica ion. Ob iously, his esul s in he accumula ion
o di e en subs ances being loca ed in a ious s o age a eas. Consequen ly, wha a i s sigh seems
o be a highly bene icial p ac ice, becomes a was e o use ul wa ehouse space and inally an addi ional
economic expense caused by he necessa y emo al o ou da ed equipmen o expi ed compounds.
4.1. 5S Me hodology
All hese incon eniences we e de ec ed in he wa ehouse and labo a o ies o he Chemical and
En i onmen al Enginee ing Depa men a he Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz. Acco dingly,
he i s ac ion o he p ojec (2017/2018 academic yea ) consis ed o ca ying ou an in en o y, classi ying,
and ea anging he eagen s and chemical p oduc s in he wa ehouse, imp o ing a he same ime he
me hodology employed o s o e new eagen s.
Gi en he ac ha he chemical eagen wa ehouse should ha e a s uc u e simila o any
indus ial wa ehouse, a model based on he managemen echnique called "5S", common in his
ype o en i onmen , was p oposed. The 5S lean ool is known o imp o e sys em pe o mance
and is conside ed o play a signi ican ole in es ablishing a To al Quali y Managemen (TQM)
en i onmen [
11
,
12
]. Wi h implemen a ion o he 5S managemen me hod (he eina e abb e ia ed as
5S) in uni e si y acili ies, such ins alla ions become indus ial ones and commi hemsel es o adop
he condi ions o secu i y and o ganiza ion usually ound in indus y.
5S, which s ands o he i e Japanese wo ds Sei i, Sei on, Seiso, Seike su, and Shi suke, has been
adi ionally used in he au omo i e and o he indus ies and comp ises a se o low-cos and
echnologically undemanding p ac ices ha aim o gene a e p oduc i i y imp o emen s by c ea ing
and sus aining clean and well-o ganized wo kplaces [13].
•S ep 1: Sei i—So
Sei i in ol es so ing h ough he con en s o he wo kplace and emo ing unnecessa y i ems.
This ac ion is de o ed o iden i ying and elimina ing all unnecessa y i ems om he wo kplace.
In acco dance wi h he guidelines con ained in he 5S Manual [
14
], necessa y i ems include hose
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 5 o 15
subs ances ha will de ini ely be used in he u u e. By he same oken, unnecessa y i ems a e hose
compounds ha a e no in ended o be used in he u u e o wi hin a speci ic ime pe iod. Expe ience
shows ha he main challenge is es ablishing he ime limi o dis inguish be ween wha is necessa y
and unnecessa y.
•S ep 2: Sei on—Se in O de
Sei on es ablishes he need o keep necessa y i ems in designa ed loca ions o easy and imely
e ie al. In his case, he wo k eam mee o design he c i e ia o he o ganiza ion. The c i e ion
o equency o use is aken as a basis, placing he mo e highly demanded compounds wi hin a m’s
each, and hose less equi ed compounds in cabine s o mo e dis an loca ions.
•S ep 3: Seiso—Shine
Seiso is ocused on keeping he acili ies nea and clean. I should be poin ed ou ha cleaning is
no a goal in i sel , bu he inal ask accompanying any o he ac i i y ca ied ou in he acili ies.
•S ep 4: Seike su—S anda dise
Seike su enables and ensu es compliance wi h he new s anda ds es ablished in he i s h ee
s eps o a well-a icula ed and consis en ly o ganized wo king p ocedu e. P ocedu es and schedules
a e w i en and isual managemen ools, such as colo coding, signals (showing di ec ion o posi ion),
labels, pos e s, and pho os, we e s a egically posi ioned.
•S ep 5: Shi suke—Sus ain
Shi suke consolida es and b ings oge he all he p e ious s eps. I in ol es aining and discipline
o ensu e ha e e yone ollows he 5S s anda ds. In his case, he goal is o sus ain he p e ious ou
s eps and in ensi y e o s o seek an imp o emen in each o hem.
In he pa icula case o he a o emen ioned chemical eagen s wa ehouse, he analysis o he
ini ial si ua ion (Figu e 3) e ealed se e al p oblems, such as accumula ion o eagen s, excessi e
weigh on shel es and imp ope s o age o eagen s ha can cause unexpec ed eac ions, p ohibi ed
s o age, and co osion and di iness, and so o h.
Figu e 3.
Ini ial si ua ion o he wa ehouse o he Chemical and En i onmen al Enginee ing Depa men
a he Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz.
4.2. In e nal E alua ion: Fo ecas ing he Accep ance Ra e o he Join Pu chasing P o ocol
A su ey was conduc ed on Uni e si y membe s assigned o Chemis y eaching labs ela ing o
hei di e en deg ees o willingness in he applica ion o he sus ainabili y ini ia i es desc ibed in his
p ojec , as well as he nume ous uncoo dina ed ac ions ca ied ou o deal wi h he accumula ion o
chemical eagen s in he wa ehouses.
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 6 o 15
5. Resul s and Discussion
Figu es 4and 5illus a e he o e all plan execu ed wi hin he wa ehouse. As men ioned in he
p e ious sec ion, he i s s ep o 5S (Sei i, 1S) ocused on he emo al o unnecessa y i ems. Acco dingly,
he wa ehouse was comple ely emp ied and all he chemical eagen s we e p ope ly checked and
classi ied. The size o his challenge should no be unde es ima ed, aking in o accoun ha he shel es
we e s ocked wi h mo e han 1200 compounds.
Figu e 4. So (1S) and se in o de (2S) s eps o 5S me hodology applica ion.
Du ing he in en o y p ocess, 25% o he chemical eagen s we e disca ded gi en hei poo
condi ions. The inc ease in he olume o chemical esidues gene a ed du ing his phase was e lec ed
in he co esponding in oice sen by he was e managemen company o he Facul y o Enginee ing o
Vi o ia-Gas eiz a he end o 2018.
Figu e 5. Shine (3S) and s anda dize (4S) s eps o 5S me hodology applica ion.
The amoun inc eased 1.65- old imes in compa ison wi h he a e age o he p e ious ou yea s
(Figu e 6). The peak o esidue p oduc ion ha occu ed in 2016 is a ibu ed o he closu e o he
Ma e ial Science Depa men . This made i pe ec ly clea ha a s o age me hodology ha includes
pe iodic e isions should be es ablished o a oid he epe i ion o p e ious episodes o lack o ca e.
Figu e 6.
Cos s associa ed wi h he managemen (ligh blue) and anspo (including he necessa y
acquisi ion o consumables, such as bags, d ums, o labels) (da k blue) o labo a o y esidues gene a ed
by he Facul y o Enginee ing o Vi o ia-Gas eiz (UPV/EHU).
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 7 o 15
In his ein, i was also obse ed ha wi hin he ca ego y o “ eagen s in good condi ions”,
he e was a su plus o some, which we e no expec ed o be used in a nea u u e, ei he because hey
we e highly speci ic subs ances o because hey belonged o o me esea ch lines. These eagen s we e
a isk o becoming haza dous was e soone a he han la e , in which case hey should be classi ied
and ea ed as labo a o y eagen was e (1850
€
/T) by means o he Sus ainabili y Di ec o a e and
Educa ional Ad iso y Se ice, an agency unde he Vice-Rec o a e o Inno a ion, Social Ou each and
Cul u al Ac i i ies o he UPV/EHU [
15
]. The associa ed cos o his managemen would be added o
he pu chase cos becoming a signi ican was e o money o he UPV/EHU.
Loca ion and iden i ica ion o he chemical eagen s was de e mined du ing he Sei on s age
(2S). The e o e, i was necessa y o ollow a chemical eagen s seg ega ion cha o a p ope loca ion
o non-compa ible chemicals in he wa ehouse [
16
]. In addi ion, equency o use, e gonomics,
accessibili y, and shape and/o weigh issues we e also aken in o accoun .
These i s wo s eps enabled he c ea ion o a da abase in which he eagen was egis e ed wi h
16 speci ica ions (e.g., chemical o mula, CAS, manu ac u e , pu i y, a ailable quan i y, o ype o
con aine ), along wi h i s loca ion in he wa ehouse. Wi h his aim, he Qua zy p og am was selec ed
as an online da abase. To gain be e con ol, i was decided o go one s ep u he by compu e izing
he in en o y o he wa ehouse using he Velneo applica ion. The compu e ized sys em consis ed o a
de ice ha con ained he da abase, a ba code scanne and p in e ha enabled he iden i ica ion o each
eagen di ec ly om he da abase. Thus, all eagen s we e labelled wi h a ba code. This new ba code
in en o y sys em enabled he use o de e mine wi h jus one click all in o ma ion abou he chemical
eagen and i s loca ion in he wa ehouse, g ea ly educing sea ch imes. Mo eo e , his sys em was
also able o eco d he in o ma ion abou he en y and exi o eagen s. Finally, i is impo an o
men ion ha Qua zy and Velneo a e compa ible da abases.
As shown in Figu e 5, in he hi d s age, (Seiso, 3S), bo h he wa ehouse acili ies and all con aine s
o he eagen s we e cleaned and he u ni u e in poo condi ion was eplaced. Following ha , magne ic
signs and he co esponding sa e y pic og ams (Seike su, 4S) we e placed (Figu e 5). Addi ionally,
a eagen con ainmen bund was also ins alled o acili a e eagen ans e s. To comple e his s ep,
a use manual was also p epa ed so ha any pe son could quickly and easily lea n he ope a ion o he
wa ehouse and use i wi hou p oblem. Finally, in o de o main ain he high s anda ds es ablished
du ing he p ocess, a ime able o e isions was es ablished. A labo a o y echnician was esponsible
o pe iodic e iews.
Comple ing his wo k allowed us o know in de ail he quan i y o eagen s ha we e housed
inside he wa ehouse, as well as o assess hei s a us and disca d hose ha we e no in op imal
condi ions. Thus, i was concluded ha he p oblem o diso de in he wa ehouse was sol ed hus
enabling he sys ema ic sea ch o any subs ance. The inal esul included he implemen a ion o
an e icien compu e ized chemical eagen s o age sys em ha allowed a be e use o he esou ces
a ailable o he Chemical and En i onmen al Enginee ing Depa men and mo eo e , signi ican ly
acili a ed he eaching wo k o he Teaching and Resea ch S a and Adminis a ion and Se ices S a
associa ed wi h i .
Howe e , i should be emphasized ha 5S is mo e han simply a cleaning-up o housekeeping
ac i i y: I is he ounda ion block upon which a company can build i s lean ini ia i e [11].
In addi ion, i is a isual managemen ool and a s uc u ed me hodology o c ea ing bes p ac ices
in a clean, o ganized, and e icien wo king en i onmen . As such, i can assis wi h he elimina ion o
us a ion, s ess, space limi a ion, and in en o y managemen . In sho , 5S is a good way o manage
uni e si y wa ehouses and labo a o ies, and o c ea e a cul u e o quali y.
In his con ex , 5S is clea ly an e ec i e ool o a success ul o ma i e p ocess. I s in oduc ion
educes labo a o y isks o he lowes le el possible, he eby also educing wo king hou s and cos s (i
should no be o go en ha mos s uden s ha e no p io expe ience in echnical labo a o ies), as well
as ex ending he space a ailable o he loca ion o esou ces. I should be no ed ha unlike indus ial
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 8 o 15
labo a o ies, whe e p oduc i i y ends o p e ail, eaching labo a o ies a e de o ed o he aining o
new p o essionals in di e en scien i ic and enginee ing ields.
Taking he abo e in o accoun and by building upon he knowledge and expe ience acqui ed
du ing he de elopmen o he i s ac ion, he nex challenge was he implemen a ion o 5S in h ee
di e en eaching labo a o ies (Chemical Enginee ing, Basic Chemis y, and En i onmen al Technology
labs) o achie e and main ain o de and maximize e iciency. This second ac ion was ca ied ou
du ing he 2018/2019 academic yea . In his case, he same p ocedu e as o he wa ehouse was applied.
To begin wi h, he wo k- eam ook he decision o conside he h ee labo a o ies as a single space
ins ead o wo king wi h each o hem indi idually. Taking in o accoun ha he e was no in en o y o
he a ailable ma e ial in each a ea, and knowing in ad ance ha he same ma e ial was dispe sed in
di e en places, i was decided o implemen he i s S (so ) simul aneously in all h ee labo a o ies.
By con as , he emaining s eps we e applied sepa a ely in each labo a o y, al hough i was clea ha
decisions adop ed in each labo a o y had epe cussions o he o he s.
The Sei i s age (1S) in ol ed he comple e emp ying o all cabine s, d awe s, and s o age a eas.
An in en o y o he con en s was hen ca ied ou , classi ying hem acco ding o he ollowing c i e ia:
Size, ma e ial (glass/plas ic), quan i y, and conse a ion s a us (used/new). Any unnecessa y objec s
and was e collec ed we e disposed o . Figu e 7shows images o his i s s ep.
Figu e 7.
(
a
) S o age a ea emp ying, (
b
) classi ica ion o di e en i ems, and (
c
) unnecessa y ma e ial
accumula ed o e he yea s.
Based on he a o emen ioned in en o y, all ma e ial was o ganized and a i s a emp was made
o assign he mos sui able place o hei loca ion (Sei on, 2S).
Thus, amilies o elemen s such as disposable ma e ial (e.g., il e s, pipe e ips, ials, o bucke s),
cleaning ma e ial, ma e ial ela ed o a ious sho - e m ac i i ies ca ied ou o e he yea , such as
Science Week, i s -yea s uden s’ welcome p og am o Uni e si y O ien a ion Wo kshop, pe sonal
p o ec i e equipmen (e.g., goggles, glo es, labo a o y coa s o o en glo es) o equipmen manuals,
we e es ablished and a loca ion o each one was designa ed.
In addi ion, a gene al ule was es ablished whe eby all uni s o he same ype o ma e ial
should emain in he same labo a o y. Fo example, all Büchne / acuum lasks we e s o ed in he
Basic Chemis y Labo a o y, since hey a e mainly used du ing he p ac icals ca ied ou he ein.
Consequen ly, spo adic use s should go o his labo a o y o collec he ma e ial and e u n i he e
a e use. Al hough all decisions should be made wi h he aim o p omo ing an e icien wo k low,
his s age was he mos complex o execu e since la ge olumes o many di e en elemen s (mo e
han 450 ca alogued ools) we e ound du ing he i s s age, he eby making he choice o he co ec
loca ion o each i em somewha complica ed a he i s a emp .
The hi d s ep was Seiso (3S, Cleaning). Fi s , a ho ough gene al clean-up o all he equipmen ,
supplies, and wo k a eas was ca ied ou . He e oo, new wo king ules and habi s we e compulso y.
Fo example, he wo king- eam esponsible o he p ojec had o make i abundan ly clea ha he
wo k a ea should be e u ned o he condi ions i was in a he s a o day, including pu ing away
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 8934 9 o 15
all ools, ma e ials, and supplies used ha day. The e should be no doub ha i was much sa e ,
com o able, and p oduc i e o wo k in a nea and idy wo k en i onmen .
Figu e 8shows an example o Seike su, s anda diza ion s age (4S) whe e all isk, sa e y ph ases,
and haza d pic og ams we e upda ed ollowing he Globally Ha monized Sys em (GHS) [17].
Figu e 8. Compa ison be ween be o e and a e o Seike su, s anda diza ion s age (4S).
The las s age o he 5S s a egy was Shi suke, which is ocused on main aining s anda ds and
con inuous imp o emen . In ou case, sus ainmen o he main aining o s anda ds is p obably he
mos di icul ask o he 5S managemen me hod aking in o accoun he high numbe and ange o
use s (each wi h hei own speci ic needs) wo king in he labo a o ies du ing he yea . Wi h he aim
o main aining and imp o ing he lean me hodology implemen ed, new assessmen c i e ia and a
ime able o a pe iodic e iew o he 5S s a us we e se .
Jus like an audi p ocess, ha ing e e y hing in en o ied, clean and idy allowed he lab use s
o be ully awa e o he eal a ailable po en ial in chemical eagen s and lab supplies. In addi ion,
by means o he da abase c ea ed by using he Qua zy online lab managemen pla o m, access o his
in o ma ion was achie ed quickly and in ui i ely by any in e es ed pe son wi hou p io ins uc ion.
The implemen a ion o he managemen sys em was supe ised and posi i ely alida ed by an
ex e nal ce i ica e au ho i y om he Quali y and Inno a ion Uni o he UPV/EHU. To ensu e he
ollow-up and he con inuous imp o emen o he 5S sys em in o de o p e en /co ec non-compliances
conce ning he s anda d equi emen s, bo h he chemical eagen s wa ehouse and he h ee eaching
labo a o ies will be e iewed on a yea ly basis.
5.1. Doing Mo e and Be e wi h Less
Taking his pilo p ojec conduc ed in he Facul y o Enginee ing Vi o ia-Gas eiz as a s a ing
poin , he u u e goal should be o b oaden his p ac ice o he es o he UPV/EHU cen e s. To his end,
a join public da abase would be a he disposal o membe s o he Uni e si y lis ing all he a ailable
esou ces; incomp ehensibly, despi e belonging o he same uni e si y communi y, he use o each
cen e ’s ma e ial is cu en ly limi ed o he s a o each si e. In o he wo ds, he implemen a ion o his
policy o sus ainable de elopmen would enable he sha ing and euse o chemicals and lab supplies.
Tu ning his u opia in o eali y would esul in clea economic bene i s, bu he mos impo an
ad ance would be he change in he mindse o all he ac o s in ol ed, since he ac o s o sus ainabili y
and solida i y would become pa o he decision-making equa ion [18,19].
Besides, we need o emain ambi ious wi h ega d o he o e all p ojec : I should no be exclusi ely
es ic ed o sha ing o exchanging eagen s and equipmen bu should be aken a s ep u he owa ds
he join pu chase o eagen s in o de o achie e sus ainable consump ion and p oduc ion [20].
Ob iously, implemen a ion o a join pu chasing s a egy is no as easy ask. I equi es a g ea e
deg ee o o ecas , commi men , and coo dina ion skills om he membe s o he UPV/EHU, who up
o now ha e been only equi ed o ensu e he p ac ical wo k is ca ied ou acco ding o he eaching
guides o each subjec .
Humankind in gene al, and he Uni e si y in pa icula , is usually d i en by he adage “be e he
de il you know”, being a socie y eluc an o make any la ge-scale changes ha equi e i o ope a e
ou side o a "com o zone" i mly es ablished o e he yea s. As shown in Figu e 9, 19% o Uni e si y
