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Strategies for Adopting Sustainability in Life Sciences
A well-defined sustainability strategy aligns business objectives with environmental and social considerations, providing a roadmap to achieve sustainability goals.
Implementing sustainability goes beyond compliance; it’s an opportunity to optimize processes and gain a competitive edge. Sustainable businesses are more resilient and better equipped to adapt to disruptions, positioning them for long-term success. Sustainability initiatives foster innovation and product differentiation, allowing organizations to access new markets and meet changing consumer demands. By adopting approaches that enhance environmental responsibility and operational efficiency, companies can align with evolving regulations and consumer expectations.
Making diagnostic assays more sustainable by design involves integrating eco-friendly principles into their development and production. This approach aims to reduce resource consumption, minimize waste, and use sustainable materials while maintaining performance and accuracy. Incorporating sustainability throughout the product life cycle fosters “built-in” eco-friendly practices in both product and process. 10 1. Consider alternative sample types & patient self-collection D iagnostic blood samples collected by phlebotomy are the most common biological specimens sent to laboratories. According to a study published in 2020 examining the carbon footprint of pathology testing for five common hospital pathology tests, most carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions are associated with sample collection 5 . Replacing venous blood collected by a phlebotomist for patient self-collection of capillary blood using a fingerprick could quickly reduce carbon emissions by eliminating PPE and patient travel to collection sites. Additionally, using alternative sample types such as saliva and urine, which remain stable and are not sensitive to environmental factors, can further decrease carbon emissions. These samples are easily mailed, do not require refrigeration, and generally use simpler collection devices, resulting in less hazardous waste. Make tests more sustainable by design
Making Tests More Sustainable by Design
2. Reduce the steps and materials used in an assay workflow Plastics and single-use items contribute significantly to an assay’s environmental footprint. Most molecular qPCR tests currently require RNA or DNA extraction, which is expensive, time-consuming, and requires expertise. Eliminating this step for direct detection can streamline workflows, reduce complexity, speed up processing, and lower reagent usage. G enerally, improving an assay’s efficiency can reduce its carbon footprint through strategies like removing steps, minimizing reagent volumes, and employing multiplex testing, all of which decrease hazardous waste. However, to implement these strategies, the reagents used must meet certain criteria. High-concentration reagents are required to reduce assay volume, inhibitor-tolerant master mixes must be formulated to achieve a high sensitivity without nucleotide extraction and uniform multiplexing requires a mix to perform uniformly, with unbiased amplification of different targets. AVOID – Simplest to Implement Reduce waste: high-concentration enzymes SHIFT – Rethink Design Efficiency Remove cold-chain logistics with lyophilization Skip the extraction step with direct qPCR detection INNOVATE – Adopt Green Tech Sustainable raw materials such as animal-free blockers, nonbacterial enzymes
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