Month: April 2025

In the biotechnology sector, innovation extends beyond medical discoveries to include approaches for managing environmental impact. For example, non-hazardous supplies and containers, like the plastic boxes used to hold pipettes, are a common element in any lab space. But what happens to these supplies after they are used?

Traditionally, much of this material has ended up in landfills, contributing to broader waste management issues. But a recent partnership in Massachusetts aims to address the challenge of plastic waste management in laboratories. This blog examines this collaborative effort and its potential implications for sustainability in the biotech industry.

The Challenge: Managing Plastic Waste in Biotech

Biotechnology laboratories produce a considerable amount of plastic waste, including in the form of tip boxes and media bottles. According to research from the University of Exeter, UK, approximately 5.5 million tons of plastics are disposed of from biotechnology laboratories each year, and that number is only expected to grow.

Unfortunately, most recycling facilities don’t take lab plastics out of an abundance of caution. In many cases, even when lab plastics are sent to recycling facilities, the materials are immediately discarded due to contamination concerns. As industries face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint though, finding alternative solutions for lab plastics has become an important consideration.

A Local Approach: Collaboration for Recycling

In Massachusetts, where biotech makes up 3.7% of the state’s entire workforce, a partnership between Veolia North America, biotech association MassBio and startup GreenLabs Recycling is piloting a new approach to this challenge. Their collaboration has resulted in a local solution for recycling lab plastics within a 60-mile radius of Boston.

The project involves several interconnected steps to create a circular approach to reusing lab plastics. First, lab plastics are collected and consolidated at Veolia’s medical waste processing center, which makes it easy for Veolia customers and helps streamline transportation. These plastics then undergo a recycling process where they are separated, granulated and prepared for manufacturing. The recycled plastic is used to create tips transfer bins, which can then be utilized in local laboratories, many of which provided the initial plastics.

Creating a localized recycling program for lab plastics in Massachusetts offers several advantages for participants, including:

• Transportation: By keeping the process of transporting these plastics from labs to a facility within 60 miles of Boston, there’s significant savings in cost and emissions compared to shipping the materials out of state.
• Circular Economy: Recycling these used plastics helps keep these materials out of landfills, and lowers our reliance on creating new plastics for lab supplies.
• Transparency: For lab employees, they can see the results of their participation in this program through the recycled products. This creates a sense of pride that they are making a small effort in their daily tasks to optimize resource use and reduce waste in landfills.
• Community Support: The local focus may support businesses and job creation within the community.

Considerations for Other Industries

While this partnership is specific to the biotech sector, some of its principles might be applicable to other industries facing similar waste management challenges. By looking for ways to repurpose waste within the industry, we create a more sustainable and circular system. For example, non-hazardous industrial waste like single use containers, plastics or cardboard boxes can be decontaminated and broken down into basic materials to be reused either in a similar fashion, or in some cases, as an alternative to fuel in cement production.

However, doing this in house isn’t always feasible, so partnering with an organization that drives innovation can help your industry be more sustainable. Finding ways to recycle non-hazardous materials you use in your daily work is an easy first step to reducing waste and supporting your environmental goals.

The GreenLabs project offers an example of how partnerships can lead to practical approaches to sustainability. As the initiative progresses, it will influence waste management practices in biotech laboratories and potentially inspire similar efforts in other industries.

Originally published on Essity Newsroom

The hygiene and health company Essity has been awarded a place on the global non-profit environmental organization CDP’s “A List” for its leadership in corporate transparency and performance on climate.

Over 22,000 companies from 130 countries, representing two-thirds of global market capitalization, participated in CDP’s 2024 questionnaire examining various criteria, including targets, governance, impact reduction initiatives, and value chain engagement. CDP rates from A to D and Essity is one of a small number of companies that made the prestigious “A list” for Climate. For CDP forest, Essity has been awarded an A-.

“The recognition from CDP shows Essity’s commitment to become net zero by 2050 and our engagement in the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) since 2017. Improving the lives of over a billion people who use our products and services every day can only happen with a strong focus on sustainability,” says Sahil Tesfu, Essity’s Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer.

Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and its global effects are far-reaching. Essity is committed to becoming net zero by 2050 through full value chain decarbonization, from raw material sourcing to product use and disposal.

Essity has implemented various technologies to reduce emissions including using solar, geothermal, biogas and industrial waste heat energy sources, continuously exploring further options. As a global buyer of fresh and recycled wood-based fiber materials, Essity is dependent on healthy and resilient forests. Our target is to ensure that all wood-fiber is certified and sourced through the third-party Chain of Custody systems FSC and PEFC.

CDP holds the largest environmental database in the world, and its annual environment-related data collection and assessment process is widely recognized as the leading benchmark when it comes to ensuring the transparency of companies’ environmental activities.

For additional information, please contact: 
Karl Stoltz, Public Relations Director, +46 (0) 70 942 63 38, karl.stoltz@essity.com

About Essity 

Essity is a global, leading hygiene and health company. Every day, our products, solutions and services are used by a billion people around the world. Our purpose is to break barriers to well-being for the benefit of consumers, patients, caregivers, customers and society. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa. In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at essity.com.

Chemours Titanium Technologies President Damián Gumpel recently joined U.S. leaders in Washington, D.C., to discuss how the company can best support the nation’s goal of significantly increasing the domestic supply of critical minerals. The visit follows the recent creation of a strategic alliance between Chemours and Energy Fuels to enhance domestic rare earth and critical mineral supply chains, aiming to meet increasing demand. As part of the alliance, the companies will explore complementary opportunities that may increase the flow of critical minerals into the USA from allied nations, which will then enable increased production of critical materials in the U.S. needed for a variety of advanced and defense technologies, along with industrial applications, by both Chemours and Energy Fuels.

Chemours Titanium Technologies, regarded as a global leader in titanium dioxide (TiO2) production – a premium white pigment used in architectural and industrial coatings, plastics, and laminates – also has a strong history as a domestic leader in heavy mineral sands mining and mineral separation, spanning 75 years.

At its Florida and Georgia locations, Chemours utilizes advanced technologies and mining methods to extract concentrated deposits of minerals, including titanium, zircon, monazite, and staurolite, through surface mining with minimal environmental impact. These minerals are essential elements in the manufacture of consumer and industrial products, including those used in aerospace and defense applications.

Since the 1980s, China has dominated the global rare earth supply chain and now processes approximately 90% of the world’s rare earth minerals. Chemours is proud to support the U.S. goal of increasing our domestic supply of critical minerals, and the strategic alliance with Energy Fuels is a way to meaningfully shore up domestic critical mineral supply chains and increase domestic production.

“Chemours is proud to play a role in strengthening U.S. critical and rare earth mineral supply. This is a transformative time in our industry, and we are fortunate to have found a likeminded U.S. partner in Energy Fuels for this important work,” said Damián Gumpel, President of Chemours Titanium Technologies.

The strategic alliance with Energy Fuels will capitalize on the complementary geographic and operational synergies of both organizations, aiming to increase production and establish a domestic supply chain of critical minerals for the U.S. Additionally, it seeks to further the substantial infrastructure and projects that the companies control globally.

Energy Fuels, a leading U.S. producer of rare earth elements, is currently developing new heavy mineral sands projects in Madagascar, Brazil, and Australia, expected to produce world-scale quantities of rare earth, titanium ilmenite, and zircon minerals in the coming years.

“Energy Fuels and Chemours each have unique, complementary capabilities, which can be deployed to solve many of America’s critical mineral supply chain challenges in rare earth elements, titanium and zirconium. Energy Fuels and Chemours have collaborated successfully over the past four years, and we look forward to expanding our relationship in this key area,” said Mark Chalmers, President and CEO of Energy Fuels.

CINCINNATI, April 4, 2025 /3BL/ – Fifth Third (Nasdaq: FITB) has been named to America’s Most Innovative Companies 2025 by Fortune and Statista. This is the second time in three years that Fifth Third has been recognized by Fortune for its innovation.

“It’s a privilege to again be named as one of America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune,” said Jamie Leonard, chief operating officer at Fifth Third. “This recognition underscores our relentless dedication to innovation excellence and providing outstanding services and solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

America’s Most Innovative Companies honors 300 companies, headquartered in the United States, transforming industries from the inside out. The list’s ranking is built on three pillars: product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture. Companies receive a score in each of these pillars, with each dimension accounting for a third of the total score.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of techdriven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies^® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ^® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Deposit and credit products provided by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.