Reducing emissions in the laboratory: Evidence from a randomized evaluation of a sustainable practice and accreditation scheme

Last registered on October 01, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reducing emissions in the laboratory: Evidence from a randomized evaluation of a sustainable practice and accreditation scheme
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016855
Initial registration date
September 29, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 01, 2025, 8:01 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Nicolás Harrington Ruiz
Affiliation
University of Zürich
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Daphne Rutnam
PI Affiliation
University of Zürich
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PI Name
Nils Handler
PI Affiliation
University of Zürich
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-10-06
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Lab
Additional Keywords
Environment and Energy, Operations Research, Sustainability, Decarbonisation, Energy Efficiency, Net Zero, Higher Education
JEL code(s)
Q51, Q52, Q53
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study investigates whether a sustainable practice and accreditation scheme can reduce energy use in science laboratories. To test this, we conduct a field experiment in which lab groups are randomly assigned to either receive the sustainability program or serve as a control group. The sustainability program consists of information on sustainability practices tailored to research laboratories, calculators to help labs estimate their energy use, and a certification scheme that recognizes labs for completing sustainable actions.

The experiment is implemented among lab groups at a large European research university, where laboratory activities are energy-intensive and the university has ambitious decarbonization goals.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Handler, Nils, Nicolás Harrington Ruiz and Daphne Rutnam. 2025. "Reducing emissions in the laboratory: Evidence from a randomized evaluation of a sustainable practice and accreditation scheme." AEA RCT Registry. October 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16855-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Treatment consists of receiving the rollout of a sustainability program. The program has three main components:
1. Information on sustainable practices: Lab groups are provided with guidance on energy-saving measures. These are tailored specifically to research laboratories. The information is provided in the form of a checklist of practices.
2. Access to calculators: Lab groups have access to calculators that allow them to estimate their current energy use, emissions, and costs, based on reported practices. The calculators also enable labs to estimate potential cost and carbon savings from taking specific actions.
3. Certification: Lab groups receive certification based on completed actions following an auditing procedure. There are three levels of certification - bronze, silver, and gold.
Intervention Start Date
2025-10-06
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Energy consumption
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Energy consumption: energy use estimated from survey responses on laboratory practices, entered into the program calculators. The calculators transform survey responses about machine use and research practices into estimates of energy consumption, drawing on electrical measurements from comparable machines and calibrating these to the reported usage.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
1. Energy use from individual calculator components
2. Certification progress
3. Climate attitudes
4. Support for top-down versus bottom-up
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Energy use from individual calculator components: Energy use from individual components (e.g. fume cupboard use, cold storage, IT equipment).
2. Certification progress: Number of action items reported as completed towards certification criteria.
3. Climate attitudes: Survey-based measures of climate-related beliefs and behaviours.
4. Support for top-down versus bottom-up: Survey-based measures of support for top-down and bottom-up approaches.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The field experiment is conducted with lab groups at a large European research university.

Randomization will be conducted at the lab group level. We stratify by faculty. 50% of lab groups will be assigned to the treatment group and 50% to the control group.

Baseline data are collected in person by enumerators. Immediately afterward, the treated lab groups receive the intervention. Endline data collection takes place two months later and is also carried out by enumerators.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomisation done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Lab group
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Target sample is 200 lab groups.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Target sample is 200 lab groups.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
100 lab groups control, 100 lab groups treatment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The target sample size allows us to detect effects of approximately 0.40 standard deviations of the change score.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The Human Subjects Committee of the Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Information Technology at the University of Zurich
IRB Approval Date
2025-09-16
IRB Approval Number
2025-088
Analysis Plan

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