Eco-friendly Alternatives

Greener alternatives can reduce the lab’s environmental impact, save storage space, and shrink lab costs. Vendors such as VWR, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sigma, and others are providing more and more sustainable options.

Look for products with the ACT label. The ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label allows for comparison between products based on manufacturing, energy and water use, packaging, and end-of-life.

Eco-friendly products common to different vendors:

• Refillable pipette tips
• Biodegradable gloves 
• Hand towels and wipes made of recycled papers
• Bulk hand soap (to refill smaller soap containers)
• Rechargeable batteries 
• Waterless condenser for chemistry experiments to avoid running water for the duration of the entire reaction
• Take-back programs:

      - Pipette tip boxes: Polycarbin (close-loop option), TerraCycle (via VWR), and Fisherbrand

      - PPE: Kimberly Clark RightCycle and Terracycle

      - EPS foam boxes: Millipore Sigma (free) and NewEngland Biolabs (free).

      - Other packaging: Corning Recycles for their own lab packaging (free)