Make the difference: Refill and Recycle

… it’s the small actions that really make a difference

Joshua Kerry-Smith / CULTECH Ltd.

All the suppliers are working on sustainability and they are all dealing with the big aspects, but it’s the small actions that really make a difference. Part of this is improving the sustainability of the consumable items that we purchase. SARSTEDT provides a high level of dedication and support in all aspects of our partnership, this is reflected in the Tip Recycling Scheme. In this area SARSTEDT has prioritised to support our needs above all else on certain occasions.

Andrea Frank / University of Heidelberg

Unfortunately, a great deal of plastic waste is created in a cell culture laboratory, as so much of the packaging has to be sterile and for single use. Our working group is involved in the Green Lab concept, so we are keen to save resources wherever possible. As part of our accreditation as a Green Lab, we carry out a waste analysis and look at how we can improve the use of plastics in the laboratory. Using recyclable packaging and pipette tip boxes from SARSTEDT helps us to achieve our sustainability goals.

With SARSTEDT’s SingleRefills and sterile StackPacks, we not only save storage space, but energy too, as autoclave cycles are no longer necessary.
The video explained how to handle of the refill system in an easily comprehensible way. The process for returning the collected packaging is also very well thought out. The type purity of the plastic used also ensures that waste can be reused in new products in an optimised way. We are delighted to be able to play an active and positive part in environmental protection and creating a more sustainable future in this way.

In 2022 we recovered 656 kg of plastic

Sabine Berhouet, Marielle Lahiton / CHU de Bordeaux / Centre Hospitalier Universitaire

In recent years, technological developments have led to an exponential increase in the use of plastics and single-use consumables in laboratories. Certain professionals wanted to take action and they approached suppliers of consumables whose services included plastic recycling, including SARSTEDT. In July 2020 a virtuous new plastic recycling channel came into being, avoiding the incineration of empty boxes. All the SARSTEDT plastic boxes are recycled through this channel. In 2022, the recycling process recovered 656 kg of plastic and saved 690 kg CO₂.

SARSTEDT is giving plastics a second life

Lenha Mobuchon / CHU de Nantes / Centre Hospitalier Universitaire

Aware that we generate a lot of plastic waste in our molecular biology laboratory, we were looking for a recycling solution, particularly for empty tip boxes. SARSTEDT offered us their solution of taking back and shredding all their boxes, giving these plastics a second life. So we set up a collection circuit for the boxes in each technical room. Every quarter, around 100 kilos of plastic are sent for recycling. In practice, the tip boxes are dismantled and stored in cardboard boxes. Shipment is scheduled with SARDTEDT‘s recycling department and the labeled boxes are transported by carrier to the processing site.