are getting greener….
While it would be nice to immediately see yields of highly purified DNA or RNA when you finish a nucleic acid purification protocol, the reality is not quite that simple. What actually happens is that there are tiny droplets inside plastic tubes along with a waste bin full of discarded plastic bottles, columns, and pipette tips. As you glance around your lab, you can’t help but wonder if there is a way to reduce the waste created by your purification protocol.
The good news is that the movement to cut down excess while retaining or improving nucleic acid purification results is gaining traction.
Scientific labs are a place for discovery and at the heart of every groundbreaking theory. Yet like with many human activities, there are often tradeoffs. From developing new therapies to curing disease – laboratories play an important role in making advances possible. Those who call this hotbed of activity home are thoughtful and passionate individuals committed to their research. Despite their passion, environmental or ecological consequences are often overlooked. And the proof is startling -- over 5.5 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year in life science laboratories across the globe. 1,2
For many organizations, it can be daunting to make labs more environmentally friendly, especially when sterility and convenience are of utmost importance. It can feel like sustainability and lab benchwork are at odds with one another – and while perhaps it’s unrealistic to completely solve this issue due to the need for single-use components, bringing eco-mindedness into your facility may be easier than you think. Labs all over the world are making small adjustments, which are leading us towards a more sustainable future. And it's in these little steps that real change begins.
DNA and RNA purification – two methods that are notorious for producing copious amounts of plastic waste – have three kit options for scientists aiming to reduce environmental costs.
Monarch from New England Biolabs
QIAwave from Qiagen®
GenElute™-E from MilliporeSigma
Design with Sustainability in Mind
New England Biolabs was at the forefront of this shift in thinking when they sought to improve the sustainability of DNA and RNA purification reagent kits in the market. In 2016, NEB launched the first of many environmentally friendly Monarch® kits – focusing on sustainable product design to help achieve a greener lab.
Aligned with NEB's commitment to promoting sustainable ecological practices, their Monarch kits were purposefully designed to minimize environmental impact. By designing thinner column walls and using carefully chosen bottles, Monarch Kits use significantly less plastic as compared to other kits on the market. All components are sourced to ensure their recyclability and the boxes and packaging were designed to be the right size to fit the components without excessive packaging waste, while still sturdy for reuse.
In terms of conserving resources, Monarch Kit boxes, inserts, and protocol cards are made from recycled paper and the printing on the boxes and protocol cards is powered by sustainable sources such as wind. Concise protocol cards have replaced lengthy printed manuals, and both are now available for download as PDFs.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
And NEB isn’t alone. Additional industry leaders are joining the movement of creating more sustainable, greener lab products.
QIAGEN® has taken a more eco-minded approach to the way they develop nucleic acid extraction kits. As part of its overall sustainability initiatives, the company’s goal is to minimize its environmental impact by reducing, reusing, and recycling wherever possible.4
For QIAGEN, it starts with more eco-friendly packaging. To reduce lab waste, the company has created eco-friendly alternatives for their DNA, RNA, and plasmid purification kits. QIAwave Kits use up to 42% less cardboard than standard kits, and because they’re compact, they take up less precious storage space. 1
And not only that, but QIAwave Kits come with new buffer concentrates, saving up to 86% plastic per bottle compared to standard buffers. The company has also replaced their standard collection tubes with new waste tubes made from 100% recycled plastic that you can reuse throughout the procedure without causing cross-contamination. 1
Creating More Sustainable Lab Solutions
Another company that is tackling the sustainability challenge is MilliporeSigma. With fewer plastic consumables and no hazardous bind and wash buffers, the company’s GenElute™-E DNA and RNA purification kits provide an eco-friendly alternative to silica-based purification. GenElute™-E purification kits reduce the number of plastic-based components packaged with each kit and consumed while performing protocols in the lab. The binding and washing steps associated with silica-based procedures have been omitted, so there is no need to use chaotropic salts or organic solvents that require special disposal. According to MilliporeSigma, plastic waste can be reduced by 55% compared to common silica workflows, resulting in disposal cost savings and reduced environmental impact.4
GenElute™-E kits also adhere to the principles of SMASH Packaging, a plan that drives improvement in sustainability through less packaging, more sustainable materials, and easier recycling. 4
Summary
With more life science suppliers making an effort to implement sustainable strategies, researchers have greener alternatives to choose from when looking to reduce the ecological impact of their work. This is especially true with DNA and RNA purification, where companies are already making strides in finding ways to be more sustainable. By choosing wisely and using these products responsibly, we can all help make the future a little brighter.
What has been your experience with green chemistry products?
At NEB, we’re committed to reducing our own environmental footprint and we are always open to suggestions as to how we can do better. We encourage you to share your thoughts at info@labconscious.com, or send your feedback directly to New England Biolabs below, so that we can all benefit from each other’s ideas.
References:
1. Urbina el al Urbina, M. A., Watts, A. J. R.,& Reardon, E. (2015). Labs should cut plastic waste too. Nature, 528(7583), 479-479.
2. Zimmer, K. (2018. August 7). Life scientists cut down on plastic waste. The Scientist.
3. https://www.neb.com/monarch/designed-with-sustainability-in-mind
4. https://www.qiagen.com/us/sustainability/environment/more-sustainable-products