Curious About Sustainable Pipetting? Yes, It’s Possible. Here’s How.

One researcher can use 5-10 boxes of pipette tips in just one week. That's 23,000 to 46,000 tips a year! Now, think about a lab with 10 people all using tips for prepping samples, running high-throughput screens, and loading gels. It’s a massive number of tips, but that’s lab life—pristine data requires single-use consumables. Thankfully, labs and tip manufacturers are becoming more environmentally conscious and finding smart ways to lessen their impact.?

Can pipetting be sustainable???

Pipettes and well-fitting tips are essential for precise and accurate liquid measurements, ensuring consistent results across experiments. Achieving this requires a well-maintained pipette and tip system, along with proper pipetting techniques. Single-use tips are also necessary to prevent cross-contamination. The good news is that excellent data and environmental responsibility don’t have to be mutually exclusive. With thoughtful research and environmentally conscious decisions, sustainable pipetting is indeed possible.??

How do pipette tips impact the environment???

The environmental impact of pipette tips largely comes from the plastic used in their production and disposal. More plastic means more environmental impact at the time of disposal. Bulk and refill options typically have a smaller ecological footprint than single-rack alternatives due to less raw material use and waste generation. While packaging materials like cardboard have a minor effect, the overall environmental footprint is cumulative, considering all stages from raw materials to disposal.?

What is Life Cycle Thinking and why does it matter???

Life Cycle Thinking evaluates the environmental impacts of a product from raw materials to end-of-life disposal. For pipette tips, this means improving production methods, boosting efficiency, minimizing waste, and cutting energy use. By conducting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) screenings, manufacturers can develop more sustainable pipette tips and enhance their recyclability. This is important as more labs want products that help them meet their sustainability initiatives.??

Is it better to refill pipette tip boxes or recycle them and order new tips???

Reusing tip boxes is a smart and sustainable move. Durable tip boxes can handle multiple rounds of autoclaving, making them ideal for reuse with refill tips. Once a tip box has reached the end of its useful life, recycling is the way to go. These boxes are usually made from 100% polypropylene, making them fully recyclable and helping to keep lab practices eco-friendly.?

What are Refill Towers??

Refill Towers are a convenient and eco-friendly way to refill single trays of Sartorius’ purity certified Optifit standard pipette tips. They reduce plastic and packaging waste, encourage the reuse of tip boxes, and lower transportation emissions due to their space-efficient packaging. Sartorius recently acquired its first ACT Ecolabel for its Refill Towers.?

What is the ACT Ecolabel???

The ACT Ecolabel stands for Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency in Laboratory Product Sustainability. It evaluates products based on their environmental impact in areas like manufacturing, energy use, and end-of-life disposal. Earning the label is a rigorous process and shows a manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability. This internationally recognized ecolabel provides scientists and procurement specialists with clear, third-party verified information, helping them make more informed choices when comparing laboratory products from different manufacturers.

How do Sartorius pipette tips contribute to lab sustainability??

Sartorius’s popular Optifit and Safetyspace? filter tips are designed with sustainability in mind. They are made in a facility powered by 100% renewable electricity, and any plastic waste from production is locally recycled. When paired with compatible pipettes, these tips are very reliable, reducing the need for repeated experiments and using more tips. A range of packaging options is available to minimize plastic waste, and responsible disposal and recycling of used tips are strongly encouraged.??

Read more about how Sartorius is leading the way in sustainable pipetting, and check out our Sustainability Fact Sheet for answers to all your questions about Sartorius pipette tips, from raw materials to disposal. Sustainable pipetting is now within your reach.?

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