{"id":37562,"date":"2023-10-30T10:02:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T17:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/?p=37562"},"modified":"2025-08-04T17:20:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T00:20:28","slug":"aligning-your-mission-the-importance-of-partnering-with-sustainability-minded-vendors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygreenlab.org\/it\/the-beaker-blog\/aligning-your-mission-the-importance-of-partnering-with-sustainability-minded-vendors\/","title":{"rendered":"Aligning Your Mission: The Importance of Partnering with Sustainability-Minded Vendors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n

Written by Emma Wightman, MSc – Content Specialist & Technical Writer,\u00a0Triumvirate Environmental\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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While many scientists have embraced the idea that environmental responsibility is paramount, it can seem daunting to actually implement sustainability best practices within a lab space. From research and development (R&D) to healthcare diagnostics and everything in between, labs are essential for worldwide knowledge acquisition and advancement. Much of this involves exact processes and sterile environments in order to make experiments run smoothly. Often, these processes are\u00a0resource-intensive<\/a>, relying heavily on water, energy, and single-use plastic to perform while maintaining research integrity.<\/p>\n

Due to the crucial nature of these experiments, sustainability efforts simply won\u2019t work unless sample and experiment integrity can be maintained at the same time. Regrettably, some labs choose not to adopt certain sustainability initiatives due to concerns about potential risks to the integrity of their research or experiments. Fortunately, by implementing\u00a0proven sustainability best practices\u00a0and partnering with vendors who prioritize sustainability and safety, labs can not only continue their vital work but also make their operations more environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n

Embracing Lab Sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Labs across the globe are realizing the importance of sustainability. They are coming to understand that these resource-intensive spaces offer a unique opportunity for double-sided progress: If labs become more sustainable, they will both reduce their dependency on finite resources while simultaneously continuing the research that helps protect the environment and the global community as a whole.<\/p>\n

This concept is cemented by\u00a0growing societal and governmental concern<\/a>\u00a0for the environment. In fact, sustainability compliance is likely to become legally mandated, as evidenced by the\u00a027th Conference of Parties (COP27)<\/a>, the United Nations (UN)\u00a0Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) drafting<\/a>, and other such events. On top of this,\u00a080% of consumers<\/a>\u00a0have indicated that they prefer to support companies with a stronger approach to sustainability\u2014signaling that sustainability can mean more loyalty and thus, revenue.<\/p>\n

Creating a Sustainable Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

That fact remains that even when labs are hoping to implement sustainability programs, there are some perceived barriers to how far this inclusion can go. Many researchers are hesitant to change their standard operating procedures (SOPs) as they don\u2019t want to risk research integrity\u2014or safety\u2014by using products or performing tasks that are not verified as safe and effective. They also may not know how to go about solving lab sustainability issues in a compliant way. As such, they stick to the same routines, continuing their heavy reliance on resources as they prioritize safety and efficiency over sustainability. And who can blame them?<\/p>\n

What if we told you, however, that you can have all three\u2014sustainability, research integrity, and safety\u2014by partnering with vendors who take environmental, health, and safety (EHS) seriously? EHS partners are a necessary and constant presence in lab operations, providing waste disposal and consulting services to these spaces. Anyone can provide these services, but only few can offer them in a\u00a0sustainable<\/em>\u00a0way\u2014so it is important to ensure the services and ideas of your EHS partner align with your environmental goals. This may look like:<\/p>\n