Sustainability Problem: Waste

Summary of Article:

• ACT label is a label that informs consumers about the environmental impact of the product it is placed on.
• The article, “First-ever Environmental Impact Factor Label Opens New Doors for Life Science Industry,” discussed this new label in relation to the Life Science Industry as a way to understand the impact of different lab products.
• Lab are historically wasteful discarding over 10 billion pounds of plastic. Other waste streams include hazardous waste and gloves.
• This label can help labs to reduce their environmental impact while still being able to perform their studies.
• The label is being audited by Sustainability Made Simple and follows a broader trend of the chemical industry being more transparent.

Steps to Deployment

1. Find additional industrial leaders, like Thermo Fisher Scientific, MilliporeSigma, Eppendorf, and Proirclave, who will committee to using the label
2. Work with companies to evaluate their environmental impact and create label
3. Begin marketing to laboratories who are already looking for ways to reduce their waste

Comment on “Smart Recycling Bin”

• Use data to change products that are being used in a business so that they can be more easily recycled and user friendly.