by Adam Carter, Global Products Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific
For many scientists, the scale of the collective carbon footprint from scientific research can be a wake-up call. There is a considerable amount of waste material and energy consumption in research and clinical pipelines, from single-use plastic products that must be burned on disposal, to the dependency on equipment like freezers and centrifuges, which typically have high energy costs. As such, the life science sector is facing increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices to lower its environmental impact for the good of society.
There are many initiatives that champion the need to reduce the carbon footprint of science, and manufacturers and equipment providers are often leading the way. The latest advances in equipment manufacturing enable the development of reusable labware products made from non-toxic materials, and more energy-efficient equipment, such as ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers that utilize sustainable manufacturing practices.
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