Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced that its Life Science business sector has been awarded the ACT label for its ZooMAb® recombinant antibody platform by My Green Lab, a non-profit organization that promotes a culture of sustainability in science. ZooMAb® antibodies are the first antibodies to be awarded the label and received the lowest Environmental Impact Factor (EIF) scores in the chemicals and reagents category. The product portfolio represents sustainable innovation for our customers and is part of the company’s goal to achieve human progress for more than one billion people by 2030 through sustainable science and technology.
“Helping our customers and suppliers reduce their impact on the environment is an important part of our sustainability strategy. By showing how products perform in various categories such as manufacturing, energy and water use, packaging and end-of-life, the ACT label gives scientists another data point to help them improve their sustainability. We are proud to be part of this program and to receive one of the top EIF ratings for our antibody platform.”
- Jeffrey Whitford, Head of Sustainability and Social Business Innovation
Unlike traditional monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are produced from identical immune cells from an animal mother cell, this is recombinant technology. This allows for an endless and consistent supply while reducing the use of animals in research.
The antibodies can be shipped at room temperature and then stored between 2°C and 8°C, whereas conventional mAbs must be shipped and stored between 2°C and 8°C. This eliminates the need for specially insulated, ice-cooled containers, which contribute to high consumption of packaging materials and transportation emissions. Shipping these antibodies, which at 2.5 g weigh about the same as a penny, at room temperature offers more opportunities to eventually ship the product in much smaller packages, avoiding emissions of about 175 tons of CO2 per year by 2025.
