Industry News: Thermo Fisher Scientific and My Green Lab collaborate to expand use of ACT Label in driving environmentally sustainable lab practices

Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science, has announced an expansion of its collaboration with My Green Lab, a non-profit organization committed to improving the environmental sustainability of scientific research. The company has set a goal to obtain Accountability, Consistency and Transparency (ACT) labelling for its entire cold temperature storage portfolio by the end of 2021. 

Over time, Thermo Fisher expects to ACT label more than 1,200 additional SKUs, enabling research, pharmaceutical and clinical laboratories to achieve their sustainability objectives by providing a broader range of purchasing options.

"Our customers are committed to adopting more sustainable laboratory practices, and My Green Lab enables them to take proactive steps to meet their objectives," said Paul Parker, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "We are proud of our efforts to support environmentally friendly laboratory management, in part, with a portfolio of laboratory equipment and consumables that has earned top scores across a range of sustainability metrics. The ACT label serves as an objective tool for making impactful and responsible purchasing decisions."

Thermo Fisher's freezers are among the first to be ENERGY STAR^® certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The systems are powered by Thermo Fisher's unique V-Drive technology, designed to detect and adapt to changing usage patterns, and adjust compressor speed, offering significant energy savings without compromising performance. The freezers use environmentally friendly hydrocarbon refrigerants that meet the requirements of the US EPA's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) and the European Union's F-Gas Regulation, which focus on the elimination of ozone-depleting refrigerants.

"The ACT Label program provides the unique opportunity for laboratories to reduce their environmental impact by allowing purchasers to compare products and make informed buying decisions based on sustainable manufacturing, use and disposal practices," said James Connelly, chief executive officer, My Green Lab. "Thermo Fisher Scientific has been a key driver in this effort, helping establish a culture of sustainability through eco-friendly cold storage solutions. We rely on this long-standing collaboration to further expand the ACT Label program to ensure global scientific research reflects the highest standards of environmental responsibility."

The Thermo Scientific TSX Series ULT freezers and the Thermo Scientific Standard Performance (STP) ULT freezers were the company's first cold storage solutions to be recognized with the ACT label. Today, more than 200 models are similarly labeled. These systems provide a 70 percent reduction in energy consumption compared with conventional options. The instruments are manufactured in an award-winning, zero waste-to-landfill facility. Thermo Fisher's collaboration with My Green Lab began in 2017 when it participated in the ACT Label pilot program for laboratory consumables. The company now offers about 100 products within its plastic consumables and reagents businesses that are ACT labelled.

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