What's in the Box? Tackling Packaging Waste from Lab Suppliers

In a previous Greening the Bench post, Experimentation Miniaturisation: Doing More with Less, we looked at how scaling down what we use in an experiment can cut cost and carbon at the same time. This time, we're turning our attention to something that turns up on your bench almost every day but rarely gets a second thought once the contents are unpacked: the box itself.

Between cardboard outers, foam inserts, bubble wrap, polystyrene coolers and gel packs, lab suppliers often send an extraordinary amount of packaging with every delivery. Sometimes its there to protect your order. Sometimes it just feels wasteful. Most of it is designed to be thrown away once, not reused, and a lot of it (polystyrene especially) is difficult or impossible to recycle through standard collections. It piles up fast, and it costs more than most labs realise, both to dispose of and in the carbon embedded in producing it in the first place.

The Hidden Cost of "Just in Case" Ordering

A lot of packaging waste starts further upstream than at goods-in. When orders are placed little and often, "just in case" a reagent runs low or a consumable is needed sooner than planned, every single order arrives with its own full set of packaging, regardless of how small the contents are. A single box of pipette tips can arrive in a container built to protect a much larger shipment, with plenty of empty space.

The more frequently you order, the more packaging you generate pound for pound of actual product. It's an easy pattern to fall into, particularly in busy labs where ordering is spread across several people, but it's also one of the simplest to fix.

Fewer, Fuller Deliveries: The Case for Consolidation

Consolidating orders and ordering less often but in fuller shipments, cuts packaging waste at the source rather than dealing with it after the fact. Fewer deliveries also means fewer courier trips, less fuel burned getting boxes to your door, and less staff time spent on goods-in.

A few practical ways to make this happen:

• 📦 Batch your orders. Move from ad hoc daily ordering to a weekly or fortnightly batch, so items are more likely to travel together in one shipment instead of several.

• 🗓️ Set a standing order day. Agree a fixed day each week when the whole team submits requests, so procurement can combine them into a single order.

• 🤝 Loop in procurement early. Ask your purchasing team whether orders across different groups can be consolidated onto the same supplier account or delivery slot.

• 🧾 Check minimum order thresholds. Many suppliers offer free or discounted delivery above a certain order value, which naturally encourages fuller, less frequent shipments.

Beyond the environmental win, consolidation is usually a straightforward cost saving too. Fewer deliveries mean lower delivery charges over the year, and buying in slightly larger, planned quantities can often unlock better unit pricing than frequent small top ups.

Send It Back: Take-Back and Reusable Packaging Schemes

Once the box has arrived, there's still an opportunity to close the loop. A growing number of lab suppliers now offer take-back or reuse schemes for the packaging they send out, particularly for the hardest to recycle materials like polystyrene coolers and gel ice packs used in cold chain deliveries.

• ♻️ Ask about take-back schemes. Many suppliers will collect and reuse polystyrene shippers and gel packs if you ask, sometimes with a prepaid returns label included.

• 📮 Save reusable shippers. Insulated boxes and cold packs can often be returned to the supplier, or reused for your own outgoing sample shipments, rather than binned after one use.

• 🧊 Start a collection point. Designate one spot in the lab for empty gel packs and polystyrene boxes so they're ready to send back or reuse, instead of scattered across benches and bins.

• 🌱 Ask for alternatives. Some suppliers now offer paper based insulation or compostable void fill as a lower impact option, worth asking about when you set up an account.

These schemes benefit suppliers too: reused packaging costs them less to replace, which is exactly why more are starting to offer it. Asking the question, even if the answer is no today, helps build the case for suppliers to introduce one.

Action of the Week

Pick one supplier you order from regularly and ask two questions: do they offer a take-back or reuse scheme for boxes and ice packs, and could your orders be consolidated into fewer, fuller deliveries? Set up a simple collection point in the lab for empty polystyrene boxes and gel packs while you wait to hear back.

Conclusion: A Step Towards Sustainability

Packaging waste is often the by-product of good intentions, keeping stock topped up and cold chain samples protected, but a few small shifts in how and when we order, and what we do with the box afterwards, can cut a surprising amount of waste before it ever reaches the bin. Consolidating deliveries and asking suppliers the right questions costs nothing but a few minutes, and often pays for itself in reduced delivery charges too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is packaging waste from lab suppliers such a big problem?

Lab deliveries typically include cardboard, foam inserts, bubble wrap, and for cold chain items, polystyrene coolers and gel ice packs. Much of this is single use and, in the case of polystyrene, difficult or impossible to recycle through standard collections, so it accumulates quickly and adds a disposal cost on top of its embedded carbon.

Can polystyrene boxes and gel ice packs be recycled?

Standard kerbside recycling schemes rarely accept polystyrene, and gel packs need separate handling. That's why supplier take-back and reuse schemes matter so much as they route this hard to recycle packaging back into the supply chain instead of into general waste.

How does consolidating orders reduce packaging waste?

Every order generates its own share of packaging, regardless of size, so frequent small orders create disproportionately more waste per item delivered than fewer, fuller shipments. Batching orders onto a standing weekly or fortnightly schedule cuts the number of deliveries, and with it, the amount of packaging, courier trips, and delivery charges.

Do lab suppliers offer take-back schemes for packaging?

A growing number do, especially for polystyrene coolers and gel ice packs used in cold chain shipping, though it's not always advertised. It's worth asking your account manager directly whether a take-back or reuse scheme exists, and requesting one if it doesn't, since supplier behaviour often shifts in response to customer demand.