Environmental stewardship is one of the founding principles of NEB. By promoting sound ecological practices and environmental sustainability, NEB ensures the protection and preservation of natural resources, both locally and globally. We continuously strive for improvement in our business processes in order to minimize and, where possible, mitigate our impact on the environment. Raising awareness of our duty to the environment is paramount to NEB’s corporate message. As an additional measure of their commitment, NEB has received ISO 14001 certification, a quality standard for environmental management systems. Learn more about our commitment to environmental stewardship, scientific advancement and education, humanitarian efforts and employee well-being in our Social and Environmental Responsibility Brochure.
Environmental Commitment
Our Facilities
Believing it possible to conduct cutting-edge research and production in an environmentally responsible way, NEB has commissioned multiple LEED® certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings, beginning with our 140,000 square foot Main Lab, which earned LEED certification in 2007. Now, NEB’s US operations include five LEED-certified buildings, totaling 340,000 square feet. LEED is a widely recognized green building framework and rating system that considers site development and location, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials, and indoor environmental quality. Our headquarters also hosts three solar PV arrays that generate over 1 million kWh annually and a solar aquatics wastewater treatment plant. This unique wastewater facility utilizes and accelerates the same processes naturally found in wetlands to treat the site’s wastewater to State standards, at which point it is released to groundwater to aid in recharging our local water system.
In 2009, NEB received a “sustainable design” award from the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) for our state-of-the-art Main Lab, which was designed by Mart Ojamaa of Jung Brannen Associates. In 2024, NEB received a “Commercial Merit Award” from the BSA for our Garden Expansion Building, designed by ARC.
Our Business Processes
A true pioneer in sustainable business practices, NEB established the first shipping box recycling program almost 50 years ago. More recently, NEB partnered with TemperPack® to introduce the ClimaCell® cooler – a 100% recyclable alternative to expanded polystyrene packaging for cold chain shipping. In 1987, as part of an effort to minimize fuel consumption and shipping costs, NEB introduced its freezer program, consolidating shipments and freezer utilization costs and providing on-demand molecular biology reagents in academic and research centers across the globe. All publications, including manuals, datacards and marketing materials, are printed on recycled paper. In addition, the NEB Catalog & Technical Reference is printed on Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified, 30% post-consumer recycled paper. The NEB Catalog is also the first CarbonNeutral® certified catalog produced in the United States (view the press release). The NEB mail list is carefully monitored for returned mail to help reduce the volume of printed materials; the use of e-invoices also helps to decrease paper usage. Our extensive waste management programs include recycling for paper, plastics, glass, aluminum, batteries and electronics, and facility-wide composting.
Global Conservation and Awareness
Since it was first published in 1975, the NEB Catalog & Technical Reference has been a trusted resource for scientists around the world. In addition to the extensive scientific information, each edition of the catalog contains minireviews that address various environmental topics of interest. These articles endeavor to raise awareness about the impact we have on the environment and our need to act as stewards of the planet. With the release of each catalog, NEB pledges support to non-profit organizations that promote environmental awareness.
- OSA Conservation, a group committed to connecting habitats to create climate resilience for people and nature in Costa Rica
- Mikoko Pamoja, a community-led mangrove conservation and restoration project based in southern Kenya
- The Marine Conservation Action Fund, which supports emerging conservation leaders around the world
- Paso Pacifico, a group which protects Western Central America’s endangered turtle species from illegal turtle egg trade and destructive fishing practices through community education
- Guanacaste Dry Forest, a group committed to conserving biological diversity in the Area de Conservation Guanacasta (ACG) in northwest Costa Rica
- Ecologic, a group dedicated to empowering rural and indigenous peoples to restore tropical ecosystems in Central America and Mexico
- Energy Access Foundation, an organization that increases access to clean and renewable energy through rural energy enterprises
- Aqua Para La Vida, an organization that works in rural Nicaragua to build safe drinking water and sanitation systems
- Trees, Water, People, a group dedicated to helping communities protect, conserve and manage natural resources
- IDEA WILD, a group dedicated to helping preserve the earth’s biodiversity
- Union of Concerned Scientists, a group dedicated to improving the environment
- Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), a group dedicated to advancing the science of marine conservation biology
- Sustainable Ecosystems Institute (SEI), a group that uses science-based, cooperative solutions to maintain natural ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them
- Conversation Law Foundation, an organization working to solve significant environmental challenges facing New England
- The Marine Conservation Action Fund, who supports conservation leaders tackling critical marine research and conservation needs.
Non-Profit Organizations
As part of our commitment to raising environmental awareness, NEB has played a role in the establishment of two non-profit organizations: New England Biolabs Foundation and the Ocean Genome Legacy Center of New England Biolabs.
The New England Biolabs Foundation (NEBF), a private foundation established in 1982, fosters community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes, and the bio-cultural diversity found in these places. For more information, please visit www.nebf.org.
The Ocean Genome Legacy Center of New England Biolabs, located at Northeastern University's Marine Science Center in Nahant, MA, promotes conservation of marine genomic diversity by creating and maintaining a repository of genomic DNA from marine organisms from around the world. For more information, please visit the OGLF website.
NEB also supports local environmental initiatives through our corporate donations program, which contributes to non-profit organizations.
Products and content are covered by one or more patents, trademarks and/or copyrights owned or controlled by New England Biolabs, Inc (NEB). The use of trademark symbols does not necessarily indicate that the name is trademarked in the country where it is being read; it indicates where the content was originally developed. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The use of this product may require the buyer to obtain additional third-party intellectual property rights for certain applications. For more information, please email busdev@neb.com.
