Lab Sustainability: Why Supply Chain Emissions Matter Most

The emissions you're not measuring are destroying your sustainability goals

Most labs obsess over the wrong emissions.

They track freezer energy consumption, monitor autoclave cycles, and calculate centrifuge runtime.

Meanwhile, delivery trucks idle outside their building every single day. And nobody's counting.

The Hidden Carbon Footprint

Steven Vilsaint from The Engine (built by MIT) watched 80+ biotech companies under one roof, each ordering separately. Same reagents. Same suppliers. Different trucks.

The reality: individual delivery emissions dwarfed all their equipment efficiency gains combined.

Here's what most labs miss:

• Manufacturing that reagent in Germany produces 10x more CO2 than storing it in your freezer for a year
• Overnight shipping from California burns more fuel than running your entire lab for a week
• Each expedited delivery creates more emissions than most equipment purchases

These are Scope 3 emissions—your supply chain's hidden carbon footprint.

The Real Numbers

When labs audit their complete carbon footprint:

• Direct emissions (Scope 1): ~10-15%
• Energy consumption (Scope 2): ~15-20%
• Supply chain (Scope 3): ~65-75%

That -80°C freezer everyone worries about? It's a rounding error.

The Solution

The Engine's approach was simple:

• Centralized procurement across tenant companies
• On-site supply stores eliminating individual deliveries
• Shared inventory systems
• Bulk delivery scheduling

Result: 60% reduction in delivery-related emissions.

Not through expensive technology. Through operational changes.

What You Can Do

Track deliveries. Count how many trucks visit your lab weekly.

Consolidate orders. Coordinate with other teams to ship together.

Share resources. Check with neighboring labs before ordering.

Question urgency. Is overnight shipping necessary or just convenient?

Measure Scope 3. If you're ignoring supply chain emissions, you're not measuring what matters.

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