Registration for the 2026 Freezer Challenge opened this week on January 5. This is a great program that can fit into your lab workflow in a meaningful way, whether you’re kicking off the new year of your current sustainability program or implementing one for the first time. This free, virtual competition runs from January to June and has been held annually since 2017.
The Freezer Challenge is run by My Green Lab (MGL) and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) with sponsorship from various companies and organizations with an interest in promoting and optimizing the most energy-efficient cold storage options.
This program is an engaging competition between labs that participate. Along with being a fun event, it can help your organization understand the best ways to manage its freezer storage and lower energy costs. It’s not just about being environmentally conscious; it’s a collective step towards efficiency, cost savings, fostering positive change, and meeting sustainability goals.
Why the Challenge?
Conventional ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers are one of the most significant consumers of energy in laboratories. A conventional unit uses approximately 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy per day, as much as an average U.S. household.
Did you know that it may be possible to store your lab’s biological samples at a warmer temperature? The Colorado University (CU) Green Labs Program has established a database showing that many biological samples can be safely stored at -70° C instead of -80 °C. These include antibodies, kits and kit components, human serum, and DNA/RNA. In addition to optimizing temperature settings, measures like defrosting freezers, organizing storage, and shutting down underutilized equipment can go a long way toward energy savings.
It may also be an option for your facility to update its equipment. For instance, replacing outdated freezers that have a significant environmental impact with more energy-efficient models.
Why Participate?
- Environmental Impact: By participating, your organization will contribute to reducing its overall carbon footprint and achieving its sustainability goals. Encouraging practices that lead to reduced energy consumption, and a corresponding decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, will result in significant environmental benefits.
- Reduced Energy Consumption: The Freezer Challenge and it’s participating labs have driven a significant impact on energy reduction, saving 108 million kWh since the freezer challenge began in 2017. During the 2025 Challenge, 3,724 labs participated, resulting in 31.6 million kWh of energy saved.
- Cost Savings: Efficient freezer management can lead to significant energy cost reductions, directly impacting companies operational expenses. Implementing best practices like adjusting the temperature from -80°C to -70°C, when appropriate for the samples, can result in significant savings in energy costs.
- Operational Efficiency: The Freezer Challenge often improves freezer operational efficiency by encouraging labs to adopt best practices, such as creating a sample inventory, discarding unneeded samples, and consolidating storage. These actions free up space, reduce time locating materials, and prevent overcrowding.
- Recognition and Networking: By participating, your company can highlight its commitment to sustainability and efficiency, and gain recognition both within and beyond the life science community. Additionally, it engages employees with like-minded peers and other professionals who share similar values related to environmental stewardship.
Top-performing Freezer Challenge participants will be awarded for implementing energy-saving solutions and practices, with the judging criteria focusing on innovation in how labs achieve those savings. Winners are determined by a combination of points accumulated from best practices and overall energy use reduction. Awards are presented based on lab size in each sector (academia, biotech/pharma, government, and clinical/private/other) and include plaques and recognition in a lab management-related publication. Award categories, scoring criteria, and more information can be found in the Official Rules.
To learn how the Freezer Challenge can help your organization boost energy efficiency and contribute to global sustainability, visit the My Green Lab website or contact us. We can work with you to make it easy to participate! Register your lab for the 2026 Challenge and discover how you can reduce energy consumption and costs, improve operational efficiency, and meet your sustainability goals.
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
