90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the treatment of biohazardous waste
Independent assessment of pharmaceutical, diagnostic and hospital facilities demonstrate that GENERATIONS, significantly impacts on waste-related Scope 3 emissions
3 Apr 2023
Envetec, a cleantech company involved in designing technology dedicated to treating and eradicating biohazardous laboratory waste and material, recently announced additional independent data for their GENERATIONS™ technology. GENERATIONS is a climate-friendly technology that safely treats biohazardous waste and materials, including plastics, glass, PPE, sharps containers, and other general laboratory consumables onsite at the source. This data shows the ability of GENERATIONS to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 90% based on an evaluation of six life science facilities in Ireland, UK and the USA.
Malcolm Bell, Chairman and CEO of Envetec stated, “In addition to today’s announcement demonstrating how GENERATIONS significantly supports critical Scope 3 initiatives, such as waste management and transportation, Envetec will in the future be introducing new initiatives for GHG data capture, bringing further insights and transparency.”
The company initially reported findings on GHG reductions in October 2022. Carbon Action Consultants Ltd, a London-based independent third-party assessor of sustainability, performed the six-site evaluation focusing specifically on pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and hospitals, benchmarking GENERATIONS against commonly used treatment approaches. The findings show that:
- GENERATIONS lowered GHG emissions by 84% to 95% compared with waste treated and managed traditionally by autoclave, incineration and landfill transportation.
- GENERATIONS used 70% less water per cycle on average compared to onsite autoclave and rotoclave technologies.
- GENERATIONS is an essential link in the laboratory plastics recycling chain, as treated plastics are suitable for recycling.
“Scope 3 emissions are pernicious in that they are deeply embedded in the supply chains and an intractable problem across life sciences. Until now, only coordinated action among supply chain players could bring that about, making progress virtually impossible,” said Brian Murnane, Carbon Action Director. “The GENERATIONS technology changes that by providing a practical way for the healthcare sector to drive down Scope 3 emissions immediately.”