Sustainability in Lab Chemicals Will Take Center Stage

Lab chemicals are integral in nearly every sector, ranging from industrial, biopharma, academic, government research, and analytical labs. In all of these industries, we’re also seeing an expectation for greener products and services in the lab that mitigate the impact on the environment. 

Labs can consume large amounts of energy, water, and single-use plastics in their research. In the coming years, we’ll see more labs incorporating sustainable practices and environmental impact into purchasing decisions. Lab chemical suppliers will need to help customers achieve their sustainability goals. 

Greener chemicals for greener energy research

The push for sustainability doesn’t just apply to lab chemicals, but they are critical to sustainable research being done across sectors. One area that is continuing to grow is clean energy. 

Governments around the world are investing in research into greener and more renewable energy. For example, there has been an increase in demand for battery research and development as interest in electric vehicles and expanded solar and wind power has grown. Researchers are now developing batteries that rely on more readily available chemicals, like iron or sodium, that can help reduce the energy needed to ship chemicals across the globe or batteries that include fewer flammable or hazardous chemicals. 

Chemical suppliers can support this and other green energy research by partnering with customers to work toward more environmentally friendly lab chemicals. More sustainable lab chemicals can include chemicals that leave behind less hazardous waste to be disposed of, are more abundant or use smaller, reusable or recycled materials in packaging to reduce emissions in shipping and the volume of plastic material produced. 

Implementing greener practices from end to end

Efforts to improve sustainability in lab chemicals will extend beyond just the chemicals themselves. One way lab chemical suppliers can help lower their environmental impact is by implementing more sustainable practices at their sites. We’ll see more chemical sites with zero-waste and renewable energy goals in the coming years.  

To help labs meet their sustainability goals, more suppliers will introduce packaging, shipping, and disposal updates. For example, lab chemicals like high-purity solvents can be shipped in reusable, stainless-steel drums that would require no additional packaging and could be easily returned to suppliers. 

For certain biopharma and academic labs, offering bulk shipping alternatives for certain chemicals can also help minimize the packaging and other material waste that may otherwise end up in landfills. 

These solutions not only help labs become more environmentally friendly but also help ensure a reliable supply of chemicals. Chemical suppliers can also, where able to do so without compromising the integrity of the chemicals being shipped, introduce paper packaging. 

Labs can reduce the amount of chemical waste they produce. Certain solvents, including common ones like acetone, can be cleaned through distillation, making them suitable for future research. Lab chemical suppliers can also implement recycling programs to reduce the volume of new materials manufactured or mined. 

The future of more sustainable lab chemicals

For most chemicals used in the lab, there is an inherent part that isn’t “green.” Whether they require specific disposal methods, leave hazardous byproducts, or need to be transported in certain ways that increase emissions, lab chemicals are having an undeniable impact on our environment. Making lab chemicals greener is a process that will take time and investment, but the industry is slowly shifting. Greener lab chemicals will likely require more in terms of validation to ensure they’re suitable for research needs, but we can expect to see them grow in popularity. 

Sustainability in lab chemicals is becoming nonnegotiable. Finding ways to improve the sustainability of chemicals in the lab, whether that’s through improving supply chain processes or developing greener chemicals, is necessary to help labs—and suppliers—to meet their sustainability goals. The groundbreaking research taking place in labs shouldn’t come at the cost of our environment.