Understand your lab's carbon footprint, plastic waste, and sustainability score — and how to improve them
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Every time you run a calculation — Single Sequencer, Multi-Sequencer, or Read-Based — FlowSEQ automatically calculates and stores sustainability metrics for that run. There is no opt-in toggle. The sustainability card that appears at the bottom of your results panel is a preview of what was just recorded.
If your tracker is empty, it means you haven't run a calculation yet — or your calculations haven't been saved to the tracker. Open the Calculator →
Every metric record is labelled with a value type that tells you how precisely it was calculated:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Estimated | Metrics use FlowSEQ's built-in emission factors and default consumable weights. This is the normal state for most labs. |
| Partial | One or more cost library items have real carbon data entered — the calculation uses your actual supplier figures where available, and defaults elsewhere. |
Estimated is not a warning — it's the normal starting state. Partial means you've added carbon footprint values to your Cost Library items, which improves accuracy for formal ESG reporting. For internal tracking and goal-setting, Estimated is perfectly adequate.
To move from Estimated → Partial: in My Lab → Cost Library, edit a consumable and enter the carbonFootprintKg value from the supplier's product datasheet or Environmental Product Declaration (EPD).
Methodology version: All metrics are recorded with methodology version 1.0.0 — the version of FlowSEQ's emission factor model. This appears on exported ESG reports. If FlowSEQ updates its methodology in future, historical metrics are preserved under the version they were calculated with, so your audit trail stays consistent.