MilliporeSigma Continues to Achieve Great Progress With Its SMASH Packaging Plan
Product packaging is one of the most visible and tangible environmental impacts in the life science industry, which is why MilliporeSigma is focused on driving sustainability in its packaging.
Launched in 2019, MilliporeSigma’s SMASH Packaging Plan is an industry-first framework designed to reduce the environmental impact of the company’s packaging by 2022. The 2020 SMASH Packaging Report card reveals MilliporeSigma is on track to achieve several of its initiatives by 2022.
A few key goals that the SMASH Packaging Plan achieved in 2020 include:
- Utilizing three million molded pulp inserts for its glass bottle reagents instead of expanded polystyrene, which is not biodegradable and takes up space in landfills
- Ensuring 70% of its fiber-based packaging materials sourced directly align with MilliporeSigma’s zero-deforestation standards
- Reducing 100 tons of corrugated and plastic packaging by completing several packaging improvement projects at its main distribution sites. Currently, MilliporeSigma is on track to certify 1,500 metric tons of corrugated and paperboard materials
- Implementing 100% recyclable polyethylene air pillows, or approximately 60 tons of plastic air pillows, at its main U.S. distribution sites
- Saving over 32 metric tons of packaging for products by reducing the amount of packaging required, such as utilizing bulk packaging solutions
- Optimizing the shipping properties of ZooMAb® antibodies to be shipped at ambient temperature instead of insulated containers, avoiding packaging waste and increasing packaging recyclability
To learn more about MilliporeSigma's SMASH Packaging Plan and how the company is committed to developing new and innovative processes and products that contribute toward a healthier ecosystem, check out this interview with Fabien Thibault, global manager of product and packaging sustainability.
