Eurofins charges toward reducing carbon footprint

by Christina Leslie, Senior Director, Eurofins Corporate Sustainability

Two “green” improvements are taking place at Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing in Lancaster, PA. Following the planting of 1,000 native trees in 2019, Lancaster partnered again with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to convert over a ¼ acre of land into a native rain garden. This space serves as a natural filtration center for the rain run-off from surrounding roads, parking lots, and a bordering farm. The ecosystem works to trap metals in the soil and take up excess nutrients in the plants. It is also a beautiful space that provides food and habitat to pollinators, birds, and small mammals. This site has dedicated over seven acres of land to native habitat as part of our commitment to protecting and enriching our local environment.

Secondly, the Lancaster site currently uses a shuttle fleet to transport employees from the southern parking lot to the front entrance. Historically, the fleet was comprised of a mix of diesel and gas shuttles. In 2021, Eurofins BPT Lancaster invested in reducing these emissions by replacing two diesel shuttle vehicles with electric shuttles. The electric shuttles will be debuted in January 2022. This project was partially funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in an effort to improve Pennsylvania’s air quality. This project is expected to save 17.8 MT CO2 annually, which is equivalent to saving 1,749 gallons of diesel fuel!

At Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing in Portage, MI, the team was busy making a difference in their local community. A silent auction was held of small gift packages where proceeds benefited Hospital Hospitality House in Kalamazoo. This organization provides lodging for family members who travel to the area due to the need for medical treatment. Between employees and the company match, $1,000 was raised. The site also added a sponsorship at the Build a Team of Hope Charity Golf Outing. The Charity event is in memory of an employee’s mother-in-law. Eurofins sponsored $1,000 to the event that raised $50,000 for cancer research.