Sygnature Discovery receives the Ecovadis Prize for Sustainable Excellence

Syngnature Discovery, a contract research organization, has received a bronze rating from EcoVadis in recognition of the company’s commitment to sustainable practices in the life sciences sector.

EcoVadis, a global sustainability ratings platform, rates companies across industries on environmental, social and ethical performance criteria.

Implement sustainability

Sygnature Discovery has implemented a series of sustainable initiatives over a three-year period, including reducing carbon emissions in laboratory practices, recycling palladium waste, reducing the number of ultra-low temperature freezers, moving to paperless billing and recycling IT equipment.

In addition, a dedicated environmental committee meets monthly to discuss and implement sustainable practices and is represented by non-scientific and scientific employee groups, including the Green Chemistry and BioScience groups.

The sector’s freezer challenge

Sygnature has also demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship through its participation in this year’s International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, organized by My Green Lab, in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL).

The six-month freezer challenge encourages labs to implement efficient cold storage practices and submit score sheets for a chance to win prizes.

Sygnature Discovery CEO Dr. Simon Hirst commented: “As an industry player, we have a responsibility to lead by example and set the standard for sustainable excellence. We recognize the importance of minimizing our environmental footprint, promoting ethical behavior and promoting social responsibility.”

Assessment criteria

During the assessment process, EcoVadis considers four key themes, including a company’s impact on the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable purchasing. The organization uses its findings to award medals based on performance.

By achieving the EcoVadis Bronze Award, Sygnature Discovery joins a group of companies recognized for their commitment to sustainability in the life sciences.

EcoVadis sustainability ratings are based on international sustainability standards, including the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and the ISO 26000 standard.