Low-Cost Wins for Small Labs: Sustainability Without the Price Tag

Sustainability isn’t just for well-funded universities or biotech giants. In fact, small science companies are often leading the charge—despite facing tighter budgets, limited staff, and fewer resources.

Stephen Miller shared a story in our webinar that captures this perfectly:
A small lab in Gloucester, MA, had no idea where to begin. But after one walk-through, they started with composting in the kitchen, switching from plastics to glass, and setting freezer temps from -80°C to -70°C. All low-cost steps, and none of them impacted research quality.

✅ Lab gloves: Recycle non-contaminated gloves instead of tossing them in red bags.
✅ Cold storage: Lower freezer temps, save energy, and receive utility rebates.
✅ Fume hoods: Use visual cues and timers to reduce unnecessary airflow.

“They had no money and no direction. But now they can say: Look what we’ve done—and it didn’t cost us anything.”

Small labs can lead big change, especially when they start with what they already control.

📺 Get inspired—watch the full webinar here: [YouTube Link]

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