In 2023, Biogen became the first large biotech company to achieve 100% My Green Lab Certification across all its laboratories, setting a new standard for sustainability in the biotech industry. By improving efficiency and reducing waste, water, and energy consumption, Biogen has been decreasing its environmental impact and advancing its commitment to sustainability.
 
Biogen’s sustainability efforts reflect the company’s aspiration to foster a healthier, more sustainable future for all. "Employees recognize the link between human and environmental health," emphasized Biogen’s President and CEO Chris Viehbacher. Biogen’s collective commitment to sustainability and focused effort enabled them to achieve certification for every lab through the My Green Lab program two years before its target.
 
The Path to 100% Certification
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“Biogen has embraced sustainability as a core element of our operational priorities,” said Katie Woodward, Interim Head of Sustainability. “Given rapidly evolving stakeholder expectations, we regularly monitor and act on a range of sustainability concerns. We believe this can help improve efficiency and address the interests of customers, employees, regulators and other stakeholders. Our commitment to the My Green Lab program is part of our broader ambition.”
 
The certification effort began with a focused pilot program involving a small group of labs across the Research and Development (R&D) and Product and Technology Development (PTD) functions. The early success of this initiative laid the foundation for broader adoption. “Biogen laboratory teams showed enthusiasm in the My Green Lab Certification pilot. Based on my colleagues’ interest and desire to make our labs more sustainable, we brought the program to leadership to ensure we had global commitment,” said Tooba Gilani, Senior Associate II, EHS (Site Environmental Compliance Lead), who spearheaded Biogen’s My Green Lab work. “Along with driving energy efficiency in our labs, this work has led to other environmental projects and motivating many of my colleagues,” Gilani said.
 
To achieve full implementation, Biogen established a Core Committee to guide the process. This committee, along with Lab Ambassadors who volunteered to lead the implementation of the program in their individual labs, played a crucial role at key steps in the certification process.

Implementing Sustainable Practices
 
The My Green Lab Certification process begins with a Baseline Assessment Survey, where lab members complete a self-assessment on 14 topics that include recycling and waste reduction, resource management, green chemistry and green biologics and infrastructure energy, allowing My Green Lab to identify current best practices and to recommend additional sustainability actions. Labs then implement these recommendations over several months before retaking the survey to measure their progress. Based on the progress, labs receive an overall score and a certification level, along with new recommendations for ongoing improvement.
 
For Biogen, the valuable insights gained from this program have facilitated the development of sustainable solutions targeting energy and water usage, waste management, over-purchasing, and beyond.

Enhancing Education
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To support educational efforts around Biogen’s sustainability practices, the Core Committee created detailed site-specific documents. “To ensure education across laboratories on Biogen’s practices, we created an internal document for each site with common Sustainability FAQs that were found in the certificate assessment, and guided laboratories to review this document prior to certification,” said Gilani.

Lab Ambassador Irene Jenkins, Engineer II, underscored the crucial role of education throughout the process. “I think education was most important to our sustainability efforts,” she said. “Our baseline results were heavily affected by the number of ‘I don’t know’ responses, and just by becoming informed and agreeing on sustainability goals for the lab, we significantly improved our score.”

Energy Savings

“A few actions come to mind which improved our certification score compared to our baseline. One action was to audit our lab instruments to identify and label equipment that could be set to stand-by mode or unplugged to reduce the energy demand of idle equipment,” noted Jenkins. “Additionally, our freezers were placed on a scheduled defrost rotation to optimize efficiency.”

Waste Reduction

Understanding proper waste reduction strategies has helped Biogen find ways to reduce, recycle, and reuse. Laboratory changes include switching from single-use plastics to reusable glassware, recycling Styrofoam and soft plastics, and reusing biotainers for Stack Smashing Protector (SSP) buffers.
 
“Another action was to research vendor recycling programs and improve signage on appropriate recycling practices,” said Jenkins.

Improved Purchasing

Biogen’s team learned practical lessons throughout the certification process that will help drive future decisions, including more widespread understanding of how to read ACT Eco Labels and how to use Energy Star to inform purchasing decisions. “This will help us buy materials with a smaller environmental footprint and equipment that uses energy more efficiently,” said Jenkins. “Additionally, one focus group was tasked with researching then presenting resources available to guide informed purchasing decisions.”
 
As a result, one Biogen lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, began using Biotix pipette tips, which contain 30% less plastic than other products, and adopted Polycarbin as a solution for the closed-loop recycling of single-use scientific plastics such as pipette tip boxes. This resulted in the recycling of approximately 411 kilograms of plastic in just seven months. The team is now helping to share this information with colleagues in other labs to encourage its widespread adoption.

Navigating Challenges
 
The journey toward certification was not without its challenges. One of Biogen’s key obstacles was the differing and complicated nature of its labs. Each lab has unique functions and processes, and some have strict operational standards that are difficult to modify for sustainability purposes. “In those labs, we focused on what we could change toward sustainability rather than what we couldn’t,” noted Gilani. Through education, communication, and the implementation of best practices learned through the My Green Lab Certification program, sustainability became a priority every lab could work towards—while maintaining strict standards for safety and quality, among other considerations.
 
For Jenkins, awareness was the key to changing lab practices. "Our largest challenge was a lack of awareness, which could lead to default behavior," she explained. “For example, regular freezer defrosts and coil cleaning was not a consistent proactive maintenance activity for us; instead, it was a reactive strategy when a freezer would fail. By becoming aware of a more effective cadence for freezer defrosts and maintenance to ensure optimal freezer efficiency, we are now proactively preventing failure events.”
 
Through monthly check-in meetings and feedback loops between lab leaders, Jenkins and her team ensured that all members remained informed and active. "By sharing the responsibility to make change, everyone stayed engaged in the initiative," said Jenkins.
 
Cultural Shift Towards Sustainability
 
Biogen's certification journey resulted in significant advancements in sustainable lab operations, directly contributing to the organization’s corporate climate goals and demonstrating that change is achievable. "The parameter I am most proud of is 100% engagement from my lab in this initiative," said Jenkins. “Every member of the lab ended this project more informed and having helped build our target sustainability practices.”
 
Marielle Thorne, Manager, R&D Lab Operations, highlights how the certification process unveiled new sustainability opportunities. "Early expectations were that we might look at recycling waste or maybe purchasing greener products. As we progressed, we discovered many areas we had not thought about as being part of our sustainability goals,” Thorne said. “Now 100% of the lab’s freezers are at -70,” she continued.
 
The My Green Lab Certification process not only led to substantial improvements but also catalyzed a cultural shift. Jenkins recalls the achievement lab members felt upon receiving their certification plaques: "You could feel a sense of pride in the effort and changes that took place to reduce our footprint on the planet," she said.
 
Lessons Learned and Future Impact

​The program not only resulted in immediate environmental benefits but cultivated a lasting cultural commitment to sustainability. As Thorne observed, "We have learned that there is a strong desire within the scientific community to drive sustainable change. They are engaged, willing to make the change, and explore new solutions for sustainability."
 
Furthermore, Gilani highlighted the program’s significance: “My Green Lab Certification has been at Biogen for four years now and 100% of labs have completed the certification program. This dedication has showcased that Biogen is committed to sustainability at the lab level, and employees have clear spaces to talk about goals and projects related to sustainability through the culture that has been built over the years,” she concluded.
 
The success of Biogen’s My Green Lab Certification initiative has established a significant benchmark within the biotech industry. Not only are 100% of Biogen’s labs certified, as of publish date, 56.7% of the company’s labs achieved Green status, the highest certification level possible.
 
"Biogen’s pivotal milestone demonstrates how a coordinated, collaborative effort can drive transformative change in laboratory sustainability,” said Scott Grant, Vice President of Certifications, My Green Lab. “This achievement reflects Biogen’s leadership and commitment to integrating sustainable practices across their operations and serves as a powerful example for the entire industry.”

The biotech and pharma industry plays a pivotal role in advancing global health, but as a significant contributor to climate change, its environmental footprint cannot be ignored. My Green Lab’s 2024 Carbon Impact of Biotech & Pharma Report highlights progress while calling for deeper systemic changes as the industry approaches a pivotal moment in its sustainability journey. As climate goals become more urgent, biotech and pharma companies are uniquely positioned to drive by decarbonizing their supply chains and aligning with global climate targets.
 
The report, produced by My Green Lab with contribution from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), indicates that the industry has reached a tipping point — with over 25% of companies setting medium-term Scope 1 and 2 targets aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. Released during COP 29 in November 2024, the study highlights notable successes, including more companies than ever before adopting the UN Race to Zero. Additionally, a majority of companies in the campaign have made progress on the Breakthrough Outcome by adopting My Green Lab Certification, with nearly three-quarters of those programs operating on a global scale.
 
Despite significant progress, the report finds that long-term progress hinges on targets expanding to include Scope 3, the indirect emissions from upstream and downstream a company’s value chain. Expanding these targets to include the hard to measure and reduce Scope 3 emissions are essential to ensure alignment across the industry and supply chain to a 1.5°C trajectory
 
This year's report builds on previous reports starting in 2021 which were the first to assess the entire biotech and pharma value chain by quantifying Scope 3 emissions. This year’s report, which leverages data from 638 publicly listed companies and 290 privately held companies, tracks emissions since 2015, offering the comprehensive overview of the industry's carbon footprint and its alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Key Findings and Industry Progress
 
Emissions Challenges and Commitments
 
The 2024 report highlights both significant progress and challenges in emissions reduction across the biotech and pharma sectors. Among the 149 biotech and pharma companies with high-quality emissions data, 31% have set medium-term Scope 1 and 2 targets (2026–2035) that are aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. However, to fully meet climate goals, it is critical for companies to expand these targets to include Scope 3 emissions, which cover indirect emissions throughout the value chain.
 
The report also reveals a concerning emissions footprint across the industry. Total emissions from public companies amounted to 259 million tCO₂e, while private companies accounted for 138 million tCO₂e, bringing the total to 397 million tCO₂e in 2023. Scope 3 emissions, which encompass indirect emissions from purchased goods and services, are a major challenge. These emissions are significantly higher than Scope 1 and 2, being 5.4 times greater for public companies and 6.5 times greater for private companies.
 
Industry Progress and Initiatives
 
The growing commitment to the UN Race to Zero Campaign is a positive indication of progress. The study found that leading companies are accelerating their sustainability commitments, with 36 companies—representing 56% of the sector’s revenue—joining the UN’s Race to Zero campaign, up from 28 companies (46% by revenue) in the previous year. The campaign’s Breakthrough Outcome target is also within reach, with 61% beginning My Green Lab Certification programs, 73% of which are operating at a global scale.

​​As the report highlights, Scope 3 emissions make up 79% of indirect emissions, underscoring the critical role of supply chain innovation in achieving climate goals. In response, the industry has launched a suite of collective supply chain initiatives aimed at addressing Scope 3 emissions, which have shown significant progress over the past year. Programs such as Converge, Activate, and Energize are driving decarbonization by engaging suppliers to adopt renewable energy, improve operational efficiency, and pursue sustainable lab practices.

​Why Download the 2024 Report?
 
The 2024 report offers a strategic guide for biotech and pharma companies to align with a 1.5°C future. It highlights key challenges, celebrates progress, and outlines actionable solutions for reducing emissions across the value chain. Whether you're a scientist, lab manager, policymaker, or executive, this report provides essential insights to drive sustainable science.

In today’s fast-paced world, it may feel like you don’t have a voice when it comes to sustainability initiatives, whether you're a manager uncertain about executive buy-in, or a lab assistant unsure how to raise your concerns and ideas to those higher up.

We’re here to tell you that regardless of who you are—your title, rank, or tenure—you are the ideal candidate to be passionate about and make meaningful changes for operational sustainability. Not only that, but sustainability advocacy is a key leadership opportunity. Those who take on this role will be the ones leading the charge, proving daily their commitment to bettering operations and the environment alike.

Everyone across an organization has the power to be a sustainability leader and make a tangible operational and environmental difference—it takes just one or a few people to step forward in order to make widespread and important environmental improvements. We will break this down by rank and tenure below.

Sustainability Champions in Various Roles

Novice/Lab Staff: In your first few years or months at a new position, you may not feel like you can speak up about making widespread changes. Often, people just beginning their careers don’t feel they can mess with “the way things have always been done.” This is a myth, however—newer staff come to positions with heaps of varied real-world experiences, making them the perfect candidates to help innovate.

Lab staff are the boots-on-the-ground workforce that gets things done—and see what works and what doesn’t on a daily basis. They are the teams that will actually have to implement any proposed changes, and thus should be respected for their willingness to change the game. These team members can, among others:

• Perform waste audits to help identify opportunities for improving waste stream management
• Become a My Green Lab Ambassador to gain foundational knowledge of lab sustainability
• Identify operational gaps
• Brainstorm and research sustainability solutions and certifications
• Implement decided-upon initiatives
• Track metrics
• Report on successes

Additionally, for those who want to become lab sustainability experts, the My Green Lab Accredited Professional program offers six modules on Waste, Procurement, Water, Energy, Green Chemistry, and Engagement.

As a newer team member, don’t hesitate to bring data-backed ideas to meetings and open up new conversations.

Mid-tenure/Frontline Managers: Often, mid-tenure employees can become immersed in the routine demands of daily work life. Be it processes they’ve been doing repeatedly for years or challenges to funding and protocols, it can feel like meaningful change hasn’t happened—so it never will. Folks in this position tend to be powerhouses of collaboration, however; they have seen what has worked and what hasn’t worked for years, but still have the spark and passion for the job they did when they were new.
Frontline and operations managers condense broad executive orders into actionable steps for their teams. Without this vital switchboard, some executive orders would fall flat—or lab staff initiatives might never reach executive ears. These team members are ideal for helping brainstorm new sustainability initiatives, as well as thinking about how logistically they would fit into operations. Mid-tenure employees can also, among others:

• Allocate resources and budgets
• Manage sustainability program implementation
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Analyze metrics and collected data
• Evaluate the practicality of best practices so as not to sacrifice research integrity

These team members can use green procurement guidelines, sustainability partners, and tracking/reporting/resource-sharing platforms to accomplish their goals.

As an organization, empower these employees to digest their teams’ struggles and turn them into an actionable plan. As a manager, don’t hesitate to speak up when you have an idea that will make everyone’s lives easier, based on your observations.

Late-term/Executive Team: People who have been around for years have seen it all—successes, failures, and everything in between. People at this stage can be a great sounding board for which sustainability initiatives can be filtered through, making decisions and creating actionable plans to distill to the whole organization.

If this describes you, don’t be afraid to wield your decision-making power over the organization—and leverage your experience with communication and plan implementation to ensure it works for all involved. On top of this, these team members can, among others:

• Help establish and approve KPIs
• Allocate large-scale budgets
• Communicate expected or ongoing changes, company-wide
• Brainstorm and research sustainability solutions
• Make decisions using collected data

Executives and late-term employees can use carbon calculators, green procurement guidelines, and internally collected sustainability program data to reach their goals.

As an organization, be flexible and prepared to pivot as these ideas change and grow.

Collaboration Is Key

The key to all of this is collaboration—it will take people of all tenures and roles to succeed in implementing sustainability initiatives. Sustainability isn’t the responsibility of just one person or department—it’s a collective effort that requires the engagement of every role across an organization. From the enthusiasm of new lab staff to the strategic oversight of executives, everyone has the power to drive meaningful environmental change. By fostering a culture of open communication, innovation, and collaboration, organizations can create a thriving environment where sustainable practices are not just encouraged but actively implemented and celebrated.

No matter your position, tenure, or experience, your voice and actions are valuable. Together, we can build a more sustainable future for laboratories, one initiative at a time. When we unite our expertise, insights, and passion, we not only make our labs greener but also contribute to a larger movement toward global sustainability. So, take the first step—no matter how small—and become a champion for sustainability in your lab today.
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My Green Lab is proud to announce the addition of two new members to our Board of Directors: Dr. Fiona Adshead, Chair of the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition, and Malcolm Bell, Founder and CEO of Envetec Sustainable Technologies. These appointments mark a significant step in strengthening My Green Lab’s independent governance and expanding our mission to build a global culture of sustainability in science.
 
“We are delighted to welcome Fiona and Malcolm to our Board,” said James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab. “Their deep expertise in healthcare, sustainability, and innovation will undoubtedly enhance our ability to develop new tools to advance our programs along the healthcare value chain. Both have been influential in championing sustainability in their respective fields, and their contributions will be instrumental as we expand our mission to encompass the entire healthcare value chain.”
 
Dr. Fiona Adshead is an internationally recognized leader in public health and sustainability, with a career dedicated to promoting well-being and environmental sustainability across businesses and governments. As the Chair of the Sustainable Healthcare Coalition and a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Dr. Adshead has led and championed partnerships that drive sustainability in healthcare worldwide.
 
“I have long admired My Green Lab’s leadership in promoting sustainable practices within the scientific community,” said Dr. Adshead. “I am honored to join their Board and look forward to helping guide its work toward creating healthier, more sustainable healthcare systems worldwide.”
 
Malcolm Bell is highly experienced in diagnostics and cleantech innovation. As the Founder and CEO of Envetec Sustainable Technologies, which is Ireland’s leading cleantech company focused on transforming laboratory waste management, Mr. Bell has successfully built multiple businesses in diagnostics and drug discovery, significantly transforming the industry.
 
“The urgency to enhance sustainable practices in laboratories has never been greater. We must reduce environmental damage while advancing science through responsible and efficient solutions that align with global efforts to combat climate change and minimize waste," said Mr. Bell. "I am excited to collaborate with My Green Lab to continue transforming laboratory practices, ensuring that innovation and sustainability move hand in hand toward a healthier, more sustainable future.”

The Environmental Impact of Laboratory Plastic Waste

Over the past decade, single-use plastics have emerged as a critical component in the life sciences industry, offering a unique combination of convenience, sterility, and cost-effectiveness. While single-use plastics have played a pivotal role in advancing the industry, it is crucial to acknowledge their environmental repercussions. The widespread adoption of single-use plastics has led to a significant increase in plastic waste generating over  12 billion pounds of plastic waste (1) per year. As the demand for consumables in labs continues to rise, finding sustainable solutions has become imperative​​.

Plastic consumables, particularly pipette tips and plates, are a significant source of waste in laboratories. Broader studies estimate that the production of a single 96-rack of polypropylene pipette tips releases approximately 0.304 kilograms of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) and requires about 6.6 liters of water(2,3,4)​​. When scaled to the level of a typical laboratory's usage, the environmental impact of manufacturing becomes substantial. With laboratories using these consumables regularly, the cumulative effect on carbon emissions and water usage is staggering. Compounding this effect, the disposal of this plastic contributes significantly to environmental pollution, hazardous waste, carbon emissions, and resource depletion​​.

Sustainable Solutions

When it comes to plastic consumables, we must rethink the traditional “make, use, dispose” model and create opportunities to reuse what we have. The life sciences industry needs to move toward using plastics efficiently and transitioning to a closed-loop system where plastic retains its value by keeping it in the supply chain instead of polluting the environment. In effect, this creates a circular economy that eliminates waste and pollution, keeps materials in use, and restores nature. Laboratories can play a crucial role in this shift by adopting practices that contribute to a circular economy by forming partnerships with suppliers who prioritize sustainability.

One potential method to mitigate environmental impact is by washing and reusing pipette tips and plates. Validation studies from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(5) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)(6) demonstrate that washed tips are of the same quality as new tips, with no evidence of contamination​​. Integrated solutions, like Grenova's tip and plate washing systems, allow laboratories to significantly reduce their reliance on single-use plastics. Instruments can be programmed to help scientists use tips in a way that becomes a seamless part of the workflow. Such systems allow laboratories to wash and reuse pipette tips and plates multiple times without compromising research quality.

For plastic that must be used, new options are emerging for recycling and reuse of the material. While part of the responsibility lies with lab managers to conscientiously dispose of their plastic waste, manufacturers must also take responsibility for their products’ end-of-life and find ways to “close the loop.” Implementing dedicated recycling programs within lab spaces can ensure that single-use plastics are collected and reprocessed into new lab products, reducing the demand for virgin materials. Additionally, manufacturers can develop biodegradable alternatives for commonly used lab plastics, further contributing to a circular economy. Collaborations between manufacturers, end users in labs, and closed-loop recycling solutions can accelerate this transformation to a lower-carbon life sciences industry.

Quantifying the Impact

By reusing plastics instead of disposing of them, positive environmental impacts are achieved on multiple fronts. It reduces the need for producing new plastic items, along with lowering the environmental costs associated with packaging, transportation, and disposal. This leads to a decrease in CO2e emissions, water consumption, and hazardous plastic waste. By quantifying and forecasting these reductions, labs can better understand the benefits of implementing a pipette tip-washing solution. For instance, as shown in the image below, using calculations from climate-focused firm Rho Impact, it can be estimated that a lab using 8,500 tip racks annually and reusing each tip ten times could achieve a reduction of 5.3 tons of CO2e(2,7).

Operational costs can also be realized by not purchasing consumables. A study conducted by the Tobacco Exposure Biomarkers Laboratory of CDC that implemented a Grenova tip washer concluded that using cleaned pipette tips can save over $24,000 annually(6)​​. In the case of a customer using 8,500 racks annually, priced at $8.00 per rack, this could translate to a savings of $61,200 per year. The potential cost savings, combined with the reduced supply chain dependencies, makes a compelling case for laboratories to transition to reusable consumables.