The Power of Storytelling: Promoting Sustainability in Scientific Research

Net zero labs

Most researchers understand that while science plays an important role in mitigating the climate crisis, the labs they work in also make a significant contribution to global heating. In 2015 global pharmaceutical industry carbon emissions were 55% higher than the automotive industry. A typical lab can use five to ten times more energy per square meter than an office.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that if half of all American laboratories could reduce their energy use by 30%, this would decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 19 million tons. This is equivalent to the energy consumed by 840,000 American households, and it could be equal to the environmental effects of removing 1.3 million cars from U.S. roads.

Reducing the carbon footprint of an individual lab isn’t only about moving to net zero, it also reflects the difficult funding position that many labs find themselves in. By reducing waste, environmental efficiency contributes to financial efficiency. No lab directors enjoy wasting resources.

For brands developing sustainable products and services, true innovation comes with the responsibility to educate customers, researchers and the entire scientific community about radical change.

Net zero labs mean net zero supply chains

Labs use hundreds of products and services. With many now looking to reduce their carbon footprint, the sustainability of lab products can be a deciding factor in selecting a new supplier. Even so, customers may not know which questions to ask.

We partner with brands around the world to describe how their sustainability initiatives are changing products, systems and entire supply chains. And we ensure those stories are engaging and relevant to our global research audiences.

Certain of our partners want to tell stories about broad sustainability initiatives. Thermo Fisher recently committed to developing new products that reduce waste, microplastics and hazardous chemicals in cancer research testing. We helped them tell an interesting story about how they’ve changed their R&D approach for new products to take a stand to environmental sustainability.

Other changes will have wider impact. The cold chain industry is a vital for many research activities, including long term storage. Ultra-low temperature freezers can use as much power as a medium-sized household. Driving sustainability through reducing freezer power consumption, without affecting reliability, is a challenge that laboratory equipment specialist PHCNA is racing to meet.

Similarly, Merck developed a new purification kit for extracting and purifying nucleic acids from cells. We helped them explain how that system could save lab time and reduce human error, while halving plastic waste from single-use items in the process. This, of course, helps labs towards their own sustainability targets.

These brands are using long-form content to help customers understand why they should change their purchasing habits, and the importance of collective impact.

Beyond physical laboratory products, software solutions can also help reduce waste for individual labs. When considering investing in an integrated laboratory management platform, the environmental impact these systems can provide may not be top-of-mind for a buyer. eLabNext are using Springer Nature custom content to help potential customers understand the advantages and implications of a more efficient workplace.

Likewise, the AI-driven scholarly search engine, Dimensions, helps people tasked with answering the most difficult sustainability question: What can we do that we haven’t thought of yet? It is creating connections to reshape an entire industry from throwaway to circular, drastically reducing waste.

What do all these examples have in common? A need to educate customers about a variety of intricate problems and thoughtful solutions. But these audiences aren’t always easy to reach.

Engaging a global scientific audience

Springer Nature can put your commitment to sustainability in front of the right people. We receive over 25 million monthly visitors from universities and colleges, 4.7 million from research institutes and 2.8 million from Biotech, Pharma and Life Science Companies. 21% of our readers are in senior roles. The kind of roles that take major purchasing decisions and will be accountable for making their labs more sustainable: Lab Directors, Senior Scientists and Heads of Faculty.

Those senior scientists come to our publications for award-winning content. They trust the science we publish and the rigorous editorial processes that make us world-class.

Our specialist writers and editors bring that expertise to our partners. With experts in life and physical sciences and clinical research, our team crafts stories that readers would naturally expect in our publications. Those stories can be fashioned for broad appeal, or they can target a specialized group of readers. Springer Nature publishes more than 3000 in the life sciences and physical sciences, many of them essential reading for scientists in specific disciplines.

Let’s talk about long-form and content

To change the way scientists think about their daily process and build long-term brand reputation, you need to go beyond product specifications and emissions charts. Telling the story of how transformation is being achieved allows readers to live the journey with you, and witness your commitment.

Whether you’re racing to net zero or revolutionizing a supply chain, get in touch to discuss how we can help tell your sustainability story.