Neste Corp. (Espoo, Finland) has joined forces with Eppendorf SE (Hamburg, Germany), a leading manufacturer and supplier of laboratory equipment, to advance the development of lab products made with renewable raw materials. Working together, the strategic partnership made it possible to create a new line of renewable plastic lab consumables: Eppendorf Consumables BioBased. The consumables, e.g. tubes, are manufactured using Neste RE™, a feedstock produced from 100% renewable raw materials, for example used cooking oil. The consumables thereby represent a sustainable choice for labs seeking to reduce their carbon footprint by replacing fossil crude oil in the value chain. The launch of the first products of the new line will significantly contribute to the life science industry’s transition towards a more sustainable future.
The life science industry is a substantial consumer of single-use plastics, and as the world faces growing environmental challenges, Eppendorf and Neste recognize the urgent need for more sustainable solutions. Eppendorf’s BioBased products perform exactly as their renowned fossil oil based plastic consumables, meeting the rigorous specifications required for scientific experiments. The portfolio comprises Eppendorf Tubes® with screw caps plus epT.I.P.S.® BioBased filter pipette tips, made of certified polypropylene based upon renewable raw materials. Neste’s renewable Neste RE feedstock is used to produce the tubes, while the screw caps and pipette tips are made in cooperation with other suppliers. A mass balancing approach is applied to allocate the renewable content to the products.
Following the successful launch of the first range of Eppendorf Consumables BioBased, the collaboration aims to continue innovating and driving the adoption of more sustainable materials in the laboratory and scientific research sectors. With Eppendorf’s extensive scientific consumables manufacturing experience and Neste’s expertise in renewable products, the initiative is well placed to address sustainability pressure points throughout the entire value chain – from the renewable raw materials to the manufacturing of the final product. In addition to renewables, the partners will also evaluate options to leverage chemical recycling to both recycle Eppendorf’s lab consumables and enable recycled content in the consumables’ production.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with Neste to bring renewable plastics into the lab,” said Brigitte Klose, Global Marketing Manager for Consumables at Eppendorf. “At Eppendorf, we are committed to supporting our customers in their efforts to become more sustainable, and by combining our expertise with Neste’s, we have been able to deliver high-performance sustainable plastic consumables that can help the scientific community to reduce its carbon footprint. This collaboration with Neste is another substantial step forward in our strive towards sustainability, and we look forward to continuing pioneering together in the development of renewable alternatives.”
“Laboratory applications come with high quality requirements for the materials used,” said Maria Carcolé, Head of Brand Owner Management at Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals. “The cooperation with Eppendorf shows that despite these requirements, a transition to more sustainable materials is already possible. It just takes will and cooperation to get there.”
By using renewable materials in their lab plastics, labs and corporations can reduce their climate impact and take steps towards a more sustainable future. In continuing to research and develop more sustainable lab plastic alternatives, Eppendorf and Neste will provide scientists with practical solutions to improve sustainability, and contribute to the defossilization of the life science industry.