Eppendorf’s BioBased Lab Consumables Offer Sustainable Alternatives Powered by Neste

Photo: Life science applications come with high quality requirements for the materials used. Source: Neste

(IN BRIEF) Eppendorf, a laboratory equipment manufacturer, has partnered with Neste, a renewable solutions company, to create Eppendorf Consumables BioBased, a line of lab consumables made from 100% renewable raw materials. These products, including tubes and pipette tips, offer a sustainable alternative to traditional lab plastics, reducing the use of fossil oil as a raw material. The collaboration aims to address sustainability challenges in the life science industry and promote the adoption of more eco-friendly materials throughout the supply chain. The companies also plan to explore chemical recycling options for recycling lab consumables and incorporating recycled content into production.

(PRESS RELEASE) ESPOO, 1-Dec-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Neste (HEL: NESTE), the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, and renewable feedstock solutions for various polymers and chemicals industry uses, announces its partnership with Eppendorf, a renowned manufacturer and supplier of laboratory equipment, to introduce an innovative range of lab consumables that reduce the use of fossil oil as a raw material. This strategic collaboration has led to the creation of Eppendorf Consumables BioBased, offering labs a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic lab consumables and contributing to a greener future.

In a world increasingly concerned with environmental challenges, the life science industry’s consumption of single-use plastics has raised significant sustainability issues. Eppendorf and Neste recognize the urgent need for more eco-friendly solutions, and their joint effort has resulted in a breakthrough product line: Eppendorf Consumables BioBased. These lab consumables, including tubes, are manufactured using Neste RE™, a feedstock derived from 100% renewable raw materials, such as used cooking oil. By utilizing this renewable source, the consumables provide a sustainable option for labs aiming to reduce their carbon footprint and eliminate fossil crude oil from their supply chain. The launch of these products marks a significant step in the life science industry’s transition towards a more sustainable future.

Eppendorf’s BioBased products deliver the same high-quality performance as their traditional fossil oil-based counterparts, meeting the stringent requirements demanded by scientific experiments. The portfolio includes Eppendorf Tubes® with screw caps and epT.I.P.S.® BioBased filter pipette tips, all made from certified polypropylene based on renewable raw materials. While Neste’s renewable Neste RE feedstock is used for tube production, the screw caps and pipette tips are manufactured in collaboration with other suppliers. A mass balancing approach is employed to allocate the renewable content to the products.

Following the successful launch of the initial Eppendorf Consumables BioBased range, this collaboration is committed to ongoing innovation and the promotion of more sustainable materials in the laboratory and scientific research sectors. Leveraging Eppendorf’s extensive experience in scientific consumables manufacturing and Neste’s expertise in renewable products, the initiative aims to address sustainability challenges across the entire value chain, from renewable raw materials to final product manufacturing. In addition to renewable materials, the partners will explore options for chemical recycling to both recycle Eppendorf’s lab consumables and introduce recycled content into consumables’ production.

Brigitte Klose, Global Marketing Manager for Consumables at Eppendorf, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Neste to bring renewable plastics into the lab. 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.”

Maria Carcolé, Head of Brand Owner Management at Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals, commented, “Laboratory applications come with high quality requirements for the materials used. 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 embracing renewable materials in their lab plastics, laboratories and corporations can lower their climate impact and make meaningful strides toward a sustainable future. Eppendorf and Neste remain committed to researching and developing sustainable lab plastic alternatives, providing scientists with practical solutions to enhance sustainability and contribute to the decarbonization of the life science industry.

Further information:

Neste: Please contact Neste’s media service, tel. +358 800 94025 / media@neste.com (weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. EET). Please subscribe to Neste’s releases at https://www.neste.com/for-media/releases-and-news/subscribe.

Eppendorf: Bettina Grochulla, tel. +49 40 692106268 / grochulla.b@eppendorf.de

Neste in brief

Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. The company refines waste, residues and innovative raw materials into renewable fuels and sustainable feedstock for plastics and other materials.

As the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel and a forerunner in developing renewable and circular feedstock solutions for polymers and chemicals, Neste helps its customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030.

The company’s ambition is to make the Porvoo oil refinery in Finland the most sustainable refinery in Europe by 2030. Neste is committed to reaching carbon-neutral production by 2035, and will reduce the carbon emission intensity of sold products by 50% by 2040. Neste has also set high standards for biodiversity, human rights and the supply chain. The company has consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the Global 100 list of the world’s most sustainable companies. In 2022, Neste’s revenue stood at EUR 25.7 billion. Read more: neste.com

Eppendorf in brief

Eppendorf is a leading international life science company that develops, manufactures, and distributes instruments, consumables, and services for use in laboratories around the world.

The product portfolio of the business units Liquid Handling, Consumables, Separation & Instrumentation and Bioprocess includes, for example, pipettes, pipette tips, centrifuges, mixers, ultra-freezers and bioreactors for cell and gene research. In addition, Eppendorf offers a wide range of high-quality consumables. In fiscal year 2022, the Eppendorf Group generated €1.23 billion in sales and invested €76 million in research and development (R&D).

Eppendorf products are used in academic and industrial research laboratories, for example in companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical and food industries. But Eppendorf products are also used in clinical or environmental analysis laboratories, in forensics and in industrial laboratories for process analysis, production, and quality assurance.

Eppendorf was founded in 1945, is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, operates production and R&D sites in Europe, Asia and North America and has subsidiaries in 33 countries. Today, the Group employs more than 5,000 people worldwide. They all act in accordance with the purpose of the company’s founders: to improve human living conditions. Read more: www.eppendorf.com

SOURCE: Neste Corporation