INTEGRA commits to sustainability

INTEGRA Biosciences continues to foster its sustainable approach to supplying high quality laboratory tools to research facilities across the globe.

Recognizing the industry’s impact on the environment, the company has implemented a variety of energy-saving solutions to help labs continue their essential work while minimizing their carbon footprint.

Plastic injection molding processes for the production of pipette tips and reagent reservoirs are unavoidably energy intensive. INTEGRA has offset this by installing photovoltaic (PV) systems at its production site in Hudson, NH, USA, which now sustainably and independently generates 45 percent of its energy needs. The company’s Swiss headquarters has surpassed this, with renewable sources supplying all the energy needed to assemble its pipetting and media preparation devices.

INTEGRA has also introduced manufacturing changes to address excessive plastic consumption in labs, such as its ECO Rack range – which uses 60 percent less plastic – and reagent reservoirs with reusable bases, as well as launching zero-waste initiatives, where excess material from tip production is used to manufacture tip boxes. Unfortunately, high plastic use in labs remains a problem, which is why INTEGRA is working to bring major lab consumables manufacturers together to address the challenges of plastic recycling. In addition, the company has implemented measures to make its supply chain more sustainable. Air freight is significantly faster than ocean shipping – yet more damaging to the environment – so the company has established an extensive warehouse network to reduce delivery times without relying on air transport.

Ursula Leuthold, Sustainability Coordinator at INTEGRA Biosciences, commented: “We have implemented many measures to make a more eco-friendly company, but it’s an ongoing journey. We will continue our quest to provide high quality laboratory tools to all of our customers, while ensuring that sustainability is part of our discussions to help protect the environment for future generations.”