Challenges in Laboratory Sustainability Within the Biopharmaceutical Industry

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone ProjectAbstract The biotech pharmaceutical industry (Bio-Pharma) is fast growing with drug products that save millions of lives with scientific research and dedication to providing medication to its clientele. With such a high demand and fast paced agenda there is much difficult surrounding the ability to adopt sustainable practices. This research was conducted at Ajinomoto Biopharma, specifically the United States branch, and its challenges with laboratory sustainability practice. A total of 20 (N=20) laboratory analysts were surveyed for this research. Each analyst was asked a series of 3 questions and their responses were recorded. It was found that laboratory sustainability mainly faces challenges due the lack of alternatives that are available. Specifically within the pharmaceutical industry there are many guidelines and standards that must be followed for the health and safety of patients as well as employees. This causes issues when trying to find sustainable tools for conducting research that also are safe for the environment.This item is part of the Sustainable Built Environments collection. For more information, contact http://sbe.arizona.edu