Eco-Friendly Alternatives

Reduce the amount of plastic generated from pipette tip use.

They have a better environmenatl foorprint because they break down faster and naturally, reducing the amount of waste in landfills. Some options are EcoTek (via SW Safety), T-Gen (via Genesee), Bio-nit (via Uniseal), and GreenDex (via Showa).

Paper made of post-consumer material uses less raw material and is more environmentally friendly.

Refill smaller soap containers with soap from bulk containers to minimize plastic waste. 

They can be reused over time reducing the amount of batteries that ends up in landfills.

Waterless condensers for chemistry experiments avoid running water for the duration of the entire reaction resulting in significant water savings. Examples are Heidolph's Findenser and Asynt's CondenSyn (available through VWR and Fischer Scientific).

Use copper trays for your incubator's water instead of dissolving copper sulfate powder, which is toxic for the aquatic environment.

Polycarbin (close-loop option), TerraCycle (via VWR), and Fisherbrand.

Kimberly Clark RightCycle and Terracycle (via VWR).

NewEngland Biolabs (free).

Corning Recycles takes back Corning's lab packaging (free).

Look for Corning's EcoChoice products.

"Corning's redesigned U- flasks use 23% less plastic than T-flasks. Most laboratories use a large number of tips and tip ricks. By switching to the Axygen® HybridRack®, labs will use 70% less plastic than a traditional tip rack."

"The multiple layers of Corning HYPERFlask® and HYPERStack® vessels allow more cells to be produced per vessel footprint, which reduces the amount of plastic used per unit of output. To intensify production and reduce plastic usage even more, the Corning Ascent® Fixed Bed Reactor (FBR) System provides something close to a 3D growth environment and ideal conditions for cell growth."

Corning® CoolCell® Containers provides alcohol-free freezing, making it a more sustainable option than regular alcohol-based freezing containers.

Cytiva views sustainability as a fundamental responsibility and a strategic priority that touches every aspect of our business.

-Recycling filtration devices

-VacuCap® and VacuCap PF Bottle-top Filter Devices are bottle-top filters for vacuum filtration which eliminates the need for a disposable reservoir reducing plastic waste. 

Biobased tubes, pipette tips, and plates are made of 90 % biobased plastic reducinge significantly the product-related carbon footprint. Besides the usual tube sizes, they also offer a conveninet 5 mL and 25 mL option.

Other sustainable options at Eppendorf.

Look for the Greener Choice Products (marked by the green leaf). 

CELLSTAR® SEROLOGICAL PIPETTES are the first Serological Pipettes with the ACT label. 

• For greener shipping, Millipore Sigma has developed a plant-based cardboard cooler to replace the polystyrene boxes used for temperature-sensitive deliveries.

• Millipore Sigma Greener Alternative Products has many solvents and antibodies listed.

• Stericup® E and Steritop® E Sterile Filters save plastic by connecting the filter to your own compatible, reusable bottle.

Planet-Safe Culture Dishes and Microplates are 100% plant-based, commercially compostable, petroleum-free, safe for incineration, and generate 83% lower carbon footprint than polystyrene. Planet-Safe® Labware is made from polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-resin derived by extracting starch from sugarcane. 

• Polycarbin supplies pipette tips made entirely of recycled plastic and takes back pipette tip boxes and clean lab plasticware to recycle in a close loop.

This Eco-friendlier DNA Extraction kit uses up to 62% less plastic and up to 58% less cardboard than our standard kit and waste tubes made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic that you can reuse throughout the procedure.

eQo 1-step ToughMix® for reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of RNA templates: its lyophilized form eliminates the need for dry ice reducing shipping costs and carbon emissions. Ambient reaction setup and stability at room temperature up to 1 year and in rehydrated form at -20°C up to 1 year.

Pipette tips in a biodegradable rack (bamboo and sugar cane) and packaged in recycled cardboard (75% less plastic than conventional racks). 

• Supply centers: freezers located on the 18th floor of the Belfer Research Building and in the basement of the 1300 York Avenue building. Subscribers can access these freezers to obtain temperature-sensitive products such as cell media and save on shipping material and emissions associated with delivery. Your department P-card is needed.

• Greener shipping. Thermo Fisher has developed an engineered cardboard substitute for the polystyrene boxes used for temperature-sensitive deliveries, which, unlike polystyrene, is recyclable.

• Gibco Bench-stable Cell Culture Medium can reduce the refrigerator's space and energy consumption.

• Learn about Thermo Fisher and Fischer Scientific's Green products.

•TipOne’s production facility and the New England distribution center are powered by 100% wind energy

•ACT® Certified Products

•Channelmate Reservoir System consistes of reagent reservoir refills which save waste and storage space.

•TipOne Filter pipette tips refill cassettes, completely sterile, cuts down up to 40% of plastic waste. Ask our rep for a starter pack.

• Garment, battery, and pipette tip recycling programs. VWR offers an array of recycling programs for common lab items.

• Look for Environmentally Preferable options when purchasing in the VWR Ariba punch-out (refine results on the left of the page, under criteria). They are also identified throughout the catalog by a green leaf. 

• Safer alternative to Triton X-100 (Octoxynol 9): J.T.Baker® Viral inactivation solution and J.T.Baker® Cell Lysis Solution are biodegradable and non-toxic to aquatic life.

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