What is the Freezer Challenge?
The Freezer Challenge is a global competition for laboratories, designed to promote best practices in cold storage management. It harnesses the spirit of competition within and between laboratories to achieve greater energy efficiency, sample, integrity, sample access, risk prevention, and cost savings.
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and My Green Lab are partnering together for the eighth year in a row to run the 2024 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge! Freezer Challenge participants have saved a cumulative 44.7 million kWh of energy since 2017. That's enough to offset the carbon emissions associated with driving over 81 million miles in a passenger vehicle, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) and My Green Lab are partnering together for the eighth year in a row to run the 2024 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge! Freezer Challenge participants have saved a cumulative 44.7 million kWh of energy since 2017. That's enough to offset the carbon emissions associated with driving over 81 million miles in a passenger vehicle, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
Quick Facts
Any laboratory in the world with cold storage units can participate!
It's a free competition! No cost to participate!
Are you up for the challenge? If your lab uses ultra-ultra low temperature freezers (-150 °C), ultra-low temperature freezers (-70 °C to -80 °C), lab freezers (-40 °C to -20 °C), or refrigerators you can earn points in the Freezer Challenge by taking any combination of actions listed below. In the majority of situations, earn 1 point for each action taken per cold storage unit.
You can learn more about the cold storage best practices included in the Freezer Challenge here. The best practices are grouped into five categories:
Awards are given to those labs and research organizations who have done the most to save energy and improve their sample storage.
It's a free competition! No cost to participate!
Are you up for the challenge? If your lab uses ultra-ultra low temperature freezers (-150 °C), ultra-low temperature freezers (-70 °C to -80 °C), lab freezers (-40 °C to -20 °C), or refrigerators you can earn points in the Freezer Challenge by taking any combination of actions listed below. In the majority of situations, earn 1 point for each action taken per cold storage unit.
You can learn more about the cold storage best practices included in the Freezer Challenge here. The best practices are grouped into five categories:
- Preventative Maintenance
- Materials Management
- Temperature Tuning
- Retirements & Upgrades
- Cutting-Edge Practices
Awards are given to those labs and research organizations who have done the most to save energy and improve their sample storage.
Important Dates & Deadlines!
The 2025 Freezer Challenge will take place from January 1, 2025, to July 1, 2025 (six months). All scoresheets are due by July 1, 2025. It is likely that online scoresheets will not be available to participants in early January due to some program improvements we are making. Labs are encouraged to track their own actions on a template such as this, and when an online system of record becomes available, program registrants will be notified and the website updated!
Don't feel behind if you didn't register for the Freezer Challenge in January or February! Labs can sign up anytime between January and the end of June. You are not at a disadvantage registering later in the year. All labs can count any of the cold storage best practices they've implemented from August 2024 up until July 1, 2025 on the 2025 Freezer Challenge scoresheet!
Don't feel behind if you didn't register for the Freezer Challenge in January or February! Labs can sign up anytime between January and the end of June. You are not at a disadvantage registering later in the year. All labs can count any of the cold storage best practices they've implemented from August 2024 up until July 1, 2025 on the 2025 Freezer Challenge scoresheet!
Benefits to Participating
This challenge is designed to encourage laboratories to recognize the benefits of good cold storage management, such as:
- Removal of unneeded, unwanted, or non-viable samples from refrigeration units
- Reduced costs associated with maintaining refrigeration units.
- Improved researcher access to laboratory samples and reagents.
- Development of ongoing cold storage management practices that support energy efficiency and maximize space utility.
