ACT Program Update Process

The ACT Label from My Green Lab is the industry-leading ecolabel for lab products, including consumables, chemicals and equipment. Numerous large and small manufacturers have embraced the ACT Label as a way to provide clear, accurate, fair, and greenwash-free information on the environmental impacts of their products, as determined by independent third-party auditors.
 
My Green Lab is enhancing the ACT Label by engaging in a revision and improvement process involving representatives from all aspects of the industry, including academics, small and large manufacturers, distributors, sustainability experts, scientists, and procurement. This wide-ranging collaboration through a stakeholder consensus process ensures the program is truly “ACT for ALL”, with multiple perspectives and goals considered. The revised ACT Label will continue to be the gold standard in supporting purchasing decisions and manufacturing, while being accessible to all aspects of the industry and driving sustainability through accurate, consistent, and transparent information.  
 
My Green Lab is grateful for the contributions and leadership of the members of the ACT Label Program Revision Committees listed here, and for all those throughout the industry who have provided your time and expertise in support of lab sustainability.

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Steering Committee

rebecca backer

Rebecca Backer
VP of Operations
SMS Collaborative

​Rebecca Backer is the Vice President of Operations for SMS Collaborative, leading a team of third-party auditors to evaluate manufacturer sustainability claims against the ACT Label Standard. A passionate sustainability expert with a focus on empowering manufacturers, Rebecca also supports a number of building product manufacturers in developing, implementing, and leveraging 

their holistic sustainability programs, evaluating scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, creating material ingredient reports, and identifying product optimization opportunities. Rebecca previously worked for Nexera as a hospital supply chain consultant and at GreenCircle Certified as a third-party auditor and regulatory compliance analyst. Rebecca has her LEED Green Associate credential, a BA in Physics from Vassar College, Bachelor of Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at DartmouthCollege, and MS in Sustainable Engineering from Villanova University. ​

​Jan bebermeier

Jan Bebermeier
Global Marketing Manager
Eppendorf SE

Jan Bebermeier works as the Global Marketing Manager at Eppendorf SE. His work with ULT freezers led to an increased focus on sustainability topics, and resulted in his role in overall product sustainability at Eppendorf over the last four years. He has managed the Label Program at Eppendorf since 2017 and is supporting the ACT Label revision with multiple partners. After receiving his PhD

in gene expression profiling from the University of Luebeck, Germany, Jan has spent the 18 years at Eppendorf in different positions with responsibility for numerous product groups. ​

Annie Bevan

Annie Bevan
Chief Executive Officer
Sustainability Management and Strategy Collaborative 
​
Annie Bevan is the CEO and Founder of the Sustainability Management and Strategy Collaborative (SMS Collaborative, LLC). She has over 20 years of experience working with organizations to develop processes, procedures, and standards to certify sustainability claims in products, buildings, and manufacturing operations. She has contributed 

to the development of numerous third-party verification programs, including the original ACT Label Program in collaboration with My Green Lab. Annie is driven by a passion to create positive change through collaboration, and is inspired by the interconnectivity of all things in both nature and business.

Michael Frank

Michael Frank
Associate Vice President Global Marketing
Agilent Technologies

Michael Frank is the Associate Vice President Global Marketing Liquid Phase Separations Division at Agilent Technologies, responsible for product management and marketing of Agilent’s liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and dissolution products. He joined Agilent in 2005 and has held different positions in the pharmaceutical segment marketing and liquid phase separations 

division. Michael was previously the Director of Analytics at Graffinity Pharmaceuticals/Santhera Pharmaceuticals. He studied at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and Strathclyde University Glasgow, Scotland, and holds a PhD in Chemistry from work performed at the Max-Plank-Institute-for-Medical-Research in Heidelberg on porphyrin-cyclophanes, where he became very familiar with analytical and spectroscopic tools like LC, GC, MS, and NMR. 

​fiona Hogan Bradford

Fiona Hogan Bradford
Sustainable Labs Project Associate
University of Virginia’s Office for Sustainability

​Fiona Hogan Bradford is the Sustainable Labs Project Associate for the University of Virginia’s Office for Sustainability. In this role she supports lab sustainability initiatives at every scale – from research building retrocomissioning projects to behavior change campaigns with sustainability-minded researchers. Fiona holds BAs in Linguistics and African Studies as well as a Master’s in

Sustainable Development Practice, all from the University of Florida.  With almost a decade of experience working in higher education, Fiona is passionate about the role these institutions can play in driving innovation and educating the next generation of sustainability leaders.

veronika Huber

Veronika Huber
Procurement Manager 
Roche

Veronika Huber is the Procurement Manager for Lab Equipment Dia Europe at Roche Germany. In this role, she is responsible for sourcing equipment globally, and she supports implementing initiatives and creating standards to achieve company sustainability targets. Before Roche, Veronika had several years of experience in the automotive industry. She graduated from the Otto-Friedrich- 

University in Bamberg, Germany, and holds a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management.  ​

Rachel kaufman

Rachel Kaufman
Head of Global Sustainability
Avantor
​
​Rachel Kaufman is the Head of Global Sustainability at Avantor. In this role, Rachel is responsible for establishing strategies and targets for Avantor’s environmental sustainability programs and leads ESG reporting and customer and investor ESG engagement. Rachel's sustainability  industry experience spans over 20 years and includes serving as the Global Director of Environmental 

Sustainability for Johnson & Johnson's Consumer Health and Vision Care segments and managing communications and environmental policy for non-profit and government agencies in Washington, DC. She has an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University.  ​

Matt kingston

Matt Kingston
Sustainability and Strategy Associate
Future Fields

Matt Kingston is the Sustainability and Strategy Associate at Future Fields, a Canadian biotech startup. In this role, Matt works on sustainability initiatives for the company, such as grassroots recycling endeavors, green certifications like My Green Lab certification and the ACT Label, and memberships with the UN Global Compact and 1% for the planet. Matt received his MBA in Sustainability at the 

University of Alberta, and has taught Corporate Sustainability in the University of Alberta MBA program since 2018. He has experience working in biotech startups, CDMOs, and supporting academic research labs.

rachael relph

Rachael Relph
​Senior Manager of Sustainable Product Design
Life Science business of Merck KGaA

​Rachael Relph is the Senior Manager of Sustainable Product Design at the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates in the U.S. and Canada as MilliporeSigma. Since 2022, she has guided product teams in the Process Solutions business using the company’s Design for Sustainability approach, an industry-first framework placing sustainability at the forefront of each product life cycle. Rachael also supports internal cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of the company's efforts to 

accelerate the value of sustainability across the business, and tries to identify opportunities to replace common products with greener alternatives. She previously served as Chief Sustainability Officer at My Green Lab, Environmental Sustainability Senior Program Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Sustainability Project Manager at Life Technologies. Rachael holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Reed College.

Jen valsler

Jen Valsler 
​Associate Director of Sustainable Procurement
AstraZeneca

Jen Valsler is the Associate Director of Sustainable Procurement at AstraZeneca, where she is responsible for leading and supporting AZ’s Procurement function in relation to their responsibilities towards AstraZeneca’s ambitious and industry-leading sustainability commitments.  Prior to this role she spent 15 years managing clinical outsourcing and leading a range of

pharmaceutical R&D Procurement categories. Jen now leans on this experience to identify and mitigate the pitfalls for  Procurement as they navigate their sustainability accountabilities.​

maria watson

Maria Watson
​Director of Sustainability 
Danaher Life Sciences
​
Maria Watson is the Director of Sustainability for Danaher Life Sciences. In this role, she is supporting the nine operating companies within her platform to identify, prioritize, execute, and implement environmental sustainability initiatives that will support corporate sustainability targets. Maria has twelve years of experience in setting and executing global environmental sustainability

strategies in pharmaceutical, life sciences, and contract manufacturing industries. Maria graduated from University of South Florida’s inaugural Master of Arts in Global Sustainability program in 2011.
Maria Watson, SEP, CEM | LinkedIn

ryan weeks

Ryan Weeks
​Green Labs Specialist
Johns Hopkins University

Ryan Weeks is the Green Labs Specialist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. In this role, he oversees JHU’s Green Labs Program, aiming to foster a culture of sustainability in research and teaching labs. He regularly engages with researchers and stakeholders across JHU’s campuses to incorporate best practices into their daily routines to improve resource efficiency and 

reduce lab waste. Prior to joining the JHU Office of Sustainability, Ryan was a graduate student at JHU where he earned a PhD in Chemical Biology while helping establish the Green Labs Program he now manages.​

matthew yamatin

Matthew​ Yamatin
Sustainability Program Director
Thermo Fisher Scientific

​Matthew Yamatin joined Thermo Fisher Scientific in early 2022 as Sustainability Program Director. He is responsible for  developing the Company’s environmental sustainability strategy and leads strategic customer engagement related to sustainability. Prior to joining Thermo Fisher, Matthew founded Decoding Sustainability, a sustainability consultancy, where he developed

and executed sustainability programs for clients in the biopharmaceutical and educational sectors. Matthew is a registered professional engineer and  LEED Accredited Professional with a Building Design and Construction specialty.​

jeff zeman

Jeff Zeman
Principal
TrueNorth Collective

​Jeff Zeman is the Principal of TrueNorth Collective, a consultancy focused on application of more sustainable design for business performance with life cycle assessment (LCA) as a core competence. With over 25 years of experience working for and with product manufacturers, his passion is moving sustainability from the sidelines to the mainstream within an organization’s existing business processes.

james connelly 

James Connelly 
Chief Executive Officer 
My Green Lab

James Connelly is the CEO of My Green Lab. He has consulted on and developed sustainability programs for some of the world's largest companies and institutions, and has a track record of growing organizations that transformed industries in manufacturing, real estate, tech, and the life sciences. An internationally-recognized corporate sustainability expert, James has deep 

knowledge of ESG reporting and strategy and was selected as a GreenBiz 30 under 30 sustainable business leader in 2017 and a Net Zero Energy Trailblazer in 2019. He is passionate about rapidly catalyzing a global transition to Net Zero.

scott weitze

Scott Weitze
​Technical Director of the ACT Label Program
My Green Lab

​Scott Weitze is the Technical Director for the ACT Program. In this role, he is coordinating the ACT Label revision process with multiple stakeholders to support industry-wide adoption of the ACT Label and best practices in lab product sustainability. Scott worked for seventeen years as a Lab Director in research and biotech manufacturing at Labcon after receiving his MS in molecular genetics from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught ​bioinformatics and genetics at San Francisco State University.

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