In an era where sustainability is no longer optional but essential, Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) have become a critical tool for evaluating the true environmental impact of laboratory operations.

For labs looking to reduce waste, adopt greener practices, and meet institutional sustainability goals, understanding the entire lifecycle of a product, from manufacture to disposal, is the foundation for meaningful change.

At IonField Systems, we’re not just offering plasma cleaning technology to extend the life of lab plastics. We’re also giving our customers the data and insight to prove the impact of this.

What Is a Life Cycle Assessment?

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive analysis that quantifies the environmental impact of a product or process across its entire lifespan — from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and distribution to usage and end-of-life disposal.

For lab consumables like pipette tips and microplates, a traditional linear use model (use once → discard) generates vast amounts of plastic waste and associated emissions. LCAs give labs a way to benchmark this impact and identify smarter, more circular alternatives.

Why LCAs Matter for Laboratory Sustainability

Most sustainability conversations in science focus on energy-efficient equipment or greener reagents. But single-use plastics remain a massive, often invisible contributor to lab-based carbon footprints.

• A single research lab can discard millions of pipette tips per year

• High-throughput screening labs can go through hundreds of plates a day

• The carbon cost of producing, shipping, and disposing of these items adds up fast

   

That’s why it’s not enough to simply switch to “greener” products. You need proof. You need a plan. You need numbers. And that’s where IonField Systems is leading the charge.

Our Partnership with Zuhlke: Building a Custom LCA Workflow

To empower labs with transparent, credible data, IonField Systems partnered with Zuhlke, a sustainability consulting firm specializing in life sciences. Together, we built a custom LCA model that evaluates how and when switching to a reusable workflow with IonField’s plasma technology delivers a carbon payback and long-term reductions in emissions.

Our LCA model is fully tailored to each lab’s unique workflow. Here’s how it works:

✅ 1. Daily Usage Data

We start by collecting data from your lab — how many pipette tips and/or microplates you use per day. This helps us project how often you’d be cleaning and reusing consumables with an IonField product.

✅ 2. Location-Based Power Emissions

Next, we factor in your geographic location to determine your local power mix (coal, renewables, natural gas, etc.). That allows us to estimate the emissions associated with operating our cleaning system in your specific lab.

✅ 3. Shipping Method

Whether the system is shipped to you by boat, plane, truck, or a combination of the three, the delivery footprint matters. We include this in the model to give you a full-picture carbon profile.

✅ 4. End-of-Life Disposal

Finally, we consider how the unit will eventually be disposed of or recycled based on regional infrastructure.

With all of this information, our model can estimate:

• When your lab hits its carbon breakeven point (i.e., when the carbon savings from reuse exceed the emissions from manufacturing and shipping the unit)

   

• How much CO₂ you’ll save over time by cleaning and reusing tips and plates with IonField

   

Why This Matters for Your Lab

Institutions across academia, biotech, and pharma are under increasing pressure to:

• Report carbon emissions transparently

   

• Meet net-zero or carbon-neutrality goals

• Reduce waste without compromising throughput or quality

   

IonField Systems’ LCA-based approach helps you:

• Justify sustainable purchasing decisions with real data

   

• Communicate savings to stakeholders, procurement teams, or green labs committees

   

• Show your lab’s leadership in sustainability without guesswork

   

We don’t just claim to reduce plastic and carbon — we’ll show you exactly how much you’re saving.

Ready to See Your Lab’s Impact?

If you’re exploring ways to reuse consumables, reduce emissions, or build a case for sustainable investment, our LCA model is the perfect starting point. Whether you’re managing a single lab or a global network of facilities, we can help you measure your potential carbon savings with real, defensible data.

Let’s build your custom LCA together.
👉 Contact us to get started
Or learn more about how our systems support circular lab practices.

💡 Bonus: Want to Use Our System but Unsure of the ROI?

We’ll run the numbers. Our team will walk you through your carbon breakeven point and help you quantify the long-term savings in both emissions and consumable costs.