Jeffrey Whitford, VP of Sustainability & Social Business Innovation for MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
If you work in a laboratory, you are most likely familiar with how these spaces can often utilize significant amounts of energy, water, chemicals and other materials. This resource-intensive environment can generate sizeable amounts of waste, resulting in a considerable carbon footprint. In fact, the figures regarding the healthcare and life science sectors may surprise you. The pharmaceutical industry emits 55% more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the manufacturing of automobiles, while life science labs use up to nine times more energy and four times more water than the average office building. As such, a commitment to sustainability in this space needs to go beyond installing energy-efficient products and appliances or using LED light bulbs and automatic taps.
The good news is: Sustainability will not only benefit the environment, but can bring a significant return on investment and offer businesses a competitive advantage. Customers are increasingly seeking alternatives that help them achieve their sustainability goals while simultaneously allowing them to deliver lifesaving treatments and therapies without sacrificing efficacy or quality. The right sustainability strategy can help any business become a “Sustainability Multiplier” by partnering with its customers and collaborators to achieve their own sustainability goals. Here is how.
Set ambitious targets
To reduce their carbon footprint and impact on climate change, research and science lab leaders need a solid strategy. A key component of any company’s sustainability strategy is to set reduction targets for GHG emissions from its operations across Scope 1 and 2 and supply chain emissions across Scope 3. This consists of covering direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company and indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling plus all other emissions associated with its activities from the supply chain like purchased goods and services. This strategy is ideally within an ambitious but achievable timeframe, in line with the Paris Agreement and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Created to pursue increasingly ambitious climate action, the Paris Agreement aims to limit climate change to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century. SBTi believes science-based targets provide a clearly defined pathway for companies to reduce GHG emissions, helping prevent impacts of climate change and future-proof business growth.
At a time when most large companies issue a sustainability report, set related targets and hold themselves accountable, labs need to follow suit with their own commitments and actions. For example, MilliporeSigma’s sustainability approach is informed by the parent company’s sustainability strategy, which includes goals to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50%, Scope 3 emissions by 30% and sourcing 80% of electricity, which directly impacts Scope 2 emissions, from renewable sources by 2030, compared with the 2020 baseline. MilliporeSigma aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 across Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Invest in greener operations
While greener operations require an investment, it makes sense as customers, employees and investors alike increasingly expect the labs they support to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. In addition, as more regulation is passed, companies that make early investments will undoubtedly have a competitive advantage.
The first step labs can take to reduce their environmental footprint is optimizing energy usage. Since it all adds up, no impact is too small: Installing energy-efficient products and appliances, using LED light bulbs and automatic taps as well as closing fume hood sashes and participating in free programs like The Freezer Challenge should all be considered—in addition to the big-ticket items that involve solar, wind, geothermal or hydroelectric power. There are several sustainable sources of producing green energy available today that will provide the cleanest forms of power because they are renewable, do not emit any GHGs or produce harmful byproducts. These can be installed on- or off-site, purchased or leased, offsetting part or 100% of the company’s operations—the opportunities are endless. While these opportunities may seem overwhelming, most energy providers are also ready to partner with their customers and help find the ideal solution for their budget and needs.
Various green projects will have the most impact when organized under one centralized program or team that can coordinate investments in energy efficiency and on-site renewables, foster the sharing of best practices among different locations and helping drive a continuous improvement culture.
For example, MilliporeSigma has a dedicated program called EDISON that has installed a combined 2.28 MW of on-site solar at several locations around the globe, built a 5.9 MW biomass central heat plant and championed a 12-year, off-site, 68MW virtual power purchase agreement that matches 100% of U.S. electricity consumption. In 2023 alone, the program will bring more than 40 new projects to life, estimated to save at least 24,000 MWh of electricity and 73,000 cubic meters of water annually.
Use greener products
Labs use large amounts of products they source externally, so it is important to look for greener alternatives whenever possible. The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry focus on the environmental impact of chemistry—from designing products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation of harmful substances, to lowering the consumption of nonrenewable resources and technological approaches for preventing pollution—which is key to creating greener products and more sustainable labs.
Suppliers with a sustainability focus will understand that how they make, distribute, and enable the use and disposal of their products can impact labs. For example, MilliporeSigma’s sustainability journey began in 2007 with one greener alternative product. Today, the company has over 2,200, and by 2030 aims to surpass 30,000 greener alternative products. Design for Sustainability (DfS) is MilliporeSigma’s gold-standard approach that keeps sustainability at the forefront throughout product lifecycle. DfS provides a structured way to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on ways to apply sustainability and green chemistry principles to operations—which in turn help customers achieve their targets.
Also, labs need to be aware of the greenness of not only the products they use but their packaging as well. For example, labs can use recycled materials, offer recycling programs for single-use and disposable plastics, use fully recyclable fiber-based or reusable coolers for more sustainable cold chain shipments and offer recycling guidance for their packaging to maximize their recycling and reuse efforts.
Think outside the lab
Supply chain resilience has come into sharp focus in recent years due to economic and political uncertainty. Implementing greener initiatives not only supports sustainability but can help to enable supply chain resilience, robustness and readiness—offering both financial and operational benefits to a lab and its customers. In fact, one of the most impactful ways executives can reduce the environmental impact of their supply chain is by shoring up sustainability—especially as organizations’ supply chains often account for more than 90% of their GHG emissions, when considering their overall climate impact.
Become a Sustainability Multiplier
MilliporeSigma coined the phrase “Sustainability Multiplier” to describe how the company leverages expertise, experiences and relationships to drive needle-moving actions because, by working together, industry leaders can accelerate their sustainability journey, multiplying their impact through collaboration and knowledge sharing. Companies can also further their impact by helping their customers and business partners achieve their own sustainability goals.
Through MilliporeSigma’s Life Science Sustainability Multipliers Pledge launched in 2022, the company engages employees in the sustainability journey and equips them with actionable tips to apply in their day-to-day work and at home. Under this program, employees commit to any number of 14 actions, including switching to greener energy at home, suggesting facility improvements, engaging suppliers and educating customers about our portfolio of greener alternative products.
Continue the journey
Once a commitment is made, companies have endless opportunities to reduce their environmental impact to benefit their customers, communities and the planet. The same way a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, meaningful sustainability efforts can be made by starting with a data-led approach to set appropriate targets, create greener products, operations and supply chains, and ultimately becoming a Sustainability Multiplier.
In today’s fast-paced, highly connected and inquisitive world, one never knows where inspiration may come from. The key is to have an open mind, let data guide you to seek out thought leaders and nurture collaborative partnerships in and outside the organization in order to foster dialogue, share best practices, focus on the most impactful areas and accelerate efforts to drive real, meaningful, measurable change.