Clean Air Ltd is proud to announce that we have been awarded the Labmate Award for Excellence in “Best Sustainability Initiative”, recognising our industry-leading work in sustainable fume cupboard innovation.

This latest success follows closely on the heels of our Best Sustainable Innovation win at Lab Innovations, making it a double award celebration for Clean Air and reinforcing our commitment to net-zero laboratory containment.

Award-Winning Innovation in Fume Cupboard Design

The Labmate Award recognises our bold decision to eliminate SF₆, a potent greenhouse gas historically used in fume cupboard type testing and replace it with advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. This move not only avoids the environmental harm caused by SF₆, but also enables us to enhance containment performance, improve testing precision, and reduce the need for costly physical prototypes during fume cupboard development.

“We are thrilled by the news of this award,” said Dr Andrew Manning, Clean Air’s Research & Development Manager.
“Bringing CFD from development to market has been a huge team effort, and the environmental impact has been significant. We’ve saved over 189 tonnes of CO₂e during product development to date. Just as importantly, it’s allowed us to create safer, more efficient fume cupboard designs. This award also reflects the wider industry’s growing determination to build sustainable science environments.”

Leading the Way in Sustainable Containment

As a UK manufacturer of high-performance fume cupboards, fume cabinets, and extraction systems, Clean Air is committed to driving forward the next generation of laboratory containment where technical innovation and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.

Our CFD-led approach is part of a wider net-zero strategy that includes efficient airflow design, low-energy containment technologies, and supply chain sustainability, helping laboratories meet their own carbon reduction targets.

Our next-generation fume cupboards are supporting research and development across vital sectors including life sciences, agri-tech, pharmaceuticals, education, advanced manufacturing, and chemical and clean energy research.

A Sustainable Partner for Science

These back-to-back national awards are more than just a celebration of our team’s achievements, they confirm Clean Air’s role as a trusted, forward-thinking partner for any organisation looking to create a safe, efficient, and sustainable laboratory.

Thank you to our clients, collaborators and the judges at International Labmate Ltd and Lab Innovations for recognising our contribution to a greener future in science and engineering.

👉 Read more about the award