Plastic Free Labs? Let’s Count the Ways

From personal protective equipment (PPE) to pipettes, labs have a menagerie of single use plastics. But what happens when scientists and creatives come Plastic Free Labs? Let’s Count the Ways

From personal protective equipment (PPE) to pipettes, labs have a menagerie of single use plastics. But what happens when scientists and creatives come together to tackle one of the world’s largest issues? Endless possibilities on ways to reduce, reuse and repurpose plastic waste.

Science labs rely on plastic for many reasons – sterility, cost-efficiency and durability, just to name a few. And as businesses strive to achieve zero waste to landfill to meet their sustainability goals, a number of innovations have surfaced in labs around the world that reduce the reliance on single use plastics, provide eco-friendly alternatives and/or help to implement responsible usage.

For those committed teams interested in challenging the status quo, one tip to increase sustainable alternatives is to focus on the small things…because they can make a big difference.

Within IFF, initial internal research of our Nourish Creative Labs found that at least 70% of all plastic items fell into four categories: bags, bottles and caps, cups and containers and pipettes.

In 2021, teams inside our global creative labs envisioned a sustainable path forward that embraced alternative solutions on plastic reliance in daily operations. Aligned with the corporate commitment to achieve zero waste to landfill at all of our major manufacturing facilities by 2030 and the IFF sustainability call-to-action laid out in our Do More Good Plan, the team got to work exploring options. The first phase launched in 18 labs in 11 countries and included the elimination of plastic bags, utensils and tasting cups in the lab. From there, the program only grew.

Since 2023, 40 labs across 30 countries are now part of the program, and collectively have eliminated approximately 1 million units of single-use plastics (compared to the 2022 usage). The teams have also reduced the single-use plastic purchase orders by an average of 24,800 units per location (see pg. 48 in the Do More Good Report).

How was the Nourish Innovation Creation & Design team able to be so successful? Leadership support and on-the-ground participation that introduced and embedded viable alternatives to plastic, making it easier for everyone to embrace change and continue to champion the program.
Another tip to making a lab more eco-friendly is to identify one or two opportunities that can make the biggest impact.

If you’ve ever been in a laboratory, you’ve seen a pipette. In our creative centers, these small plastic tools are primarily used for weighing and transporting raw materials for flavor tasting. They also help to avoid possible contamination if mixing flavors and raw materials. These disposable instruments are particularly convenient, but not eco-friendly. Having explored ways to avoid plastic waste without compromising safety or quality control, the teams settled on simply reducing the size of the pipettes from 3 ml to 1 ml. This small shift effectively reduced the volume of pipette plastic waste by two-thirds with a potential reduction of up to 1,102 Ibs (500 kg) annually.  

Another option? Take the gloves off…and repurpose them.

Disposable gloves are a frequently used, crucial PPE and a prime candidate for reuse. In Union Beach, New Jersey, the R&D lab has recycled 1,000 pounds of disposable nitrile gloves since 2017 and they are not stopping! If your disposable gloves are made of nitrile, latex or vinyl – special programs are available to safely recycle the gloves. As with any materials, recycling disposable gloves is only a safe option if they have not come into contact with clinical waste or chemicals.

Every year, the world recognizes special days and months designed to bring attention to zero waste. Whether it’s Zero Waste Week, Global Recycling Day, Earth Month, World Environment Day, or Plastic Free July, remember we’re all striving to achieve zero waste to landfill to help safeguard the health of our planet, waterways and food systems.

The United Nations estimates that people produce 430 million tons of plastics year, with two-thirds composed of short-lived products.

Will you take a few small steps to reduce, reuse or repurpose single use plastics in your labs?

Find out more about IFF’s environmental, sustainability and governance story. Read our 2023 Do More Good Report.