Sustainability

Laboratories produce 5.5 billion tons of plastic every year and consume enormous amounts of energy. A deep freezer (-80 °C), for example, requires as much energy as a family household!

sustainable science

This demonstrates the magnitude of the impact laboratories have on the environment and that, by addressing these issues, scientists and companies can make a big contribution to climate protection and sustainability. And we want to prove that modern molecular biology can be both sustainable and innovative! How our EchoLUTION technology for nucleic acid extraction is a sustainable choice is explained by the 3 Rs: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle

Reduce

  • Up to 70% less plastic waste 

  • Due to fewer steps needed compared to silica methods, fewer plastic consumables are thrown out after the extraction process 

  • Plastic bags and packaging materials are reduced to a minimum. The remaining bags in the kits are made from biodegradable bioplastic (polylactic-acid, PLA), which is based on the renewable resource starch instead of oil-based plastics 

  • Smaller kits free up shelf space in your laboratory 

  • Fewer hazardous reagents are used in the kits, contributing to user health, minimal health risks, and reduced disposal costs 

Reuse

  • The conditioning plate can be reused several times

  • For this reason, the plate is not part of the kit and can be purchased separately

  • Carton boxes are made from 70% recycled paper and are 100% recyclable (water-based ink)

  • Plates are made from 100% polypropylene and are easily recyclable (consult with your waste manager for regional regulations and recycle only decontaminated material)

Recycle

Plastic waste comparison

The plastic waste and liquid waste of an EchoLUTION DNA extraction kit (right) and a corresponding silica-based kit (left) were collected for comparison. 50 DNA extractions each were performed according to the supplier’s protocols. Using the BioEcho EchoLUTION kit results in up to 70 % less plastic waste when compared with the silica-based bind-wash-elute kit (depending on the used kit). In addition, fewer toxic reagents are included in the BioEcho DNA extraction kits.

Figure 1

Comparison of the theoretical worldwide plastic waste from nucleic acid extraction kits when using BioEcho EchoLUTION Kits versus silica-based kits1,2.

Figure 2

Sources:
(1) Nucleic Acid Isolation and Purification Market [...] - Global Forecast to 2020. marketsandmarkets, November 2015
(2) Weight of plastic and regents of a 50 reaction kit: each have been set into relation to the worldwide number of reactions performed 2020 and extrapolated
(3) Kind of lab waste and respective prices 2019, Vienna waste management (Wienenergie)

Comparison of the theoretical worldwide disposal costs for nucleic acid extraction kits when using BioEcho EchoLUTION Kits versus silica-based kits1,3.