The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is excited to announce the launch of a pilot for the “Greener Cooler:” a more sustainable alternative for cold chain shipments of its life science products. Expanded polystyrene (EPS), also known as styrofoam, is currently the industry standard for cold chain shipment of life science products, thanks to the high insulation properties of EPS. However, as EPS is petroleum-based, it is difficult to recycle, posing a significant challenge to customers’ sustainability goals and to the environment.

This pilot has begun at one of the company’s U.S. distribution centers, with plans to expand to other major U.S. distribution centers in early 2023. These Greener Coolers will replace over 60.1 metric tons of EPS shipped from these U.S. distribution centers each year.

“Our customers’ rising awareness along with regulatory pressure to fulfill new standards in sustainability call for greener solutions. Our Greener Cooler takes a holistic approach in significantly reducing non-recyclable waste and their related CO2 emissions for our customers,” explains Dustin Andre, Product and Packaging Sustainability Specialist at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

The Greener Cooler is made of paper and starch. This material can be directly placed in paper and corrugated cardboard recycling, requiring no specialized recycling process. To inform customers how to properly dispose of them, each cooler includes a simple, three-step guide printed directly on coolers’ inside flaps.

The company’s Greener Coolers are suitable for shipping a range of refrigerated products. Packaging specialists are currently validating a Greener Cooler solution for dry ice shipments, and working to increase the number of Greener Cooler sizes offer to further reduce use of EPS for larger cooler sizes. The company plans to extend Greener Cooler shipments to European distribution centers following the U.S. expansion.

Curious to learn more about Greener Coolers? Watch the video below or visit the company’s website here.

MilliporeSigma

MilliporeSigma

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The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 26,000 employees and more than 55 total manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics.  

Around 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 21.2 billion in 65 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. For more information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.emdgroup.com.

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