More Sustainable Products

Let's make science more sustainable. Together.

There’s now an eco-friendlier alternative to our standard purification kits. Say hello to QIAwave.

The lab waste challenge

The need to be more sustainable and protect the environment is a hot topic in general, and certainly in science where research still generates large amounts of plastic and cardboard waste.

Working in a green lab that’s fully sustainable is still a huge long-term challenge, but small changes can go a long way, like reducing the consumption of single-use plastic, plastic bottles and paper. That’s why we’ve taken a more eco-minded approach to the way we develop our nucleic acid extraction kits.

That’s right. We’re making sample extraction a little greener.

Watch the video to see how our new QIAwave Kits can help you reduce plastic and cardboard waste compared to our standard kits every time you prep. We've made further improvements in the kits to be more sustainable, so contrary to what's written in the video, we've now achieved savings of up to 62% less plastic and up to 58% less cardboard.

QIAwave RNA Mini Kit (based on our standard RNeasy Mini Kit) for total RNA isolation
QIAwave RNA Plus Mini Kit (based on our standard RNeasy Plus Mini Kit) for total RNA isolation and efficient gDNA removal
QIAwave DNA Blood & Tissue Kit (based on our standard DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit) for genomic DNA isolation
QIAwave Plasmid Miniprep Kit (based on our standard QIAprep Spin Miniprep Kit) for plasmid DNA isolation
QIAwave DNA/RNA Mini Kit (based on our standard AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit) for simultaneous genomic DNA and total RNA isolation

It starts with more eco-friendly packaging

As part of our overall sustainability initiatives, our goal is to minimize our environmental impact by reducing our carbon footprint wherever possible.

To get started, we’ve created more eco-friendly packing for our most popular purification kits and named them QIAwave . So, when you choose a QIAwave Kit over a standard kit, you get the same excellent results and a lot less waste.

Meet the new kits

Waste calculator

What's new?

ACT Label

ACT means Accountability, Consistency and Transparency. The ACT label criteria, also known as the Environmental Impact Factor (EIF) criteria, were developed to evaluate and score products on several sustainability related categories. Learn more about the ACT label and how the QIAwave Kits, our more eco-friendly products , compare to our standard kits.

Find out more

Working towards more sustainable research

This show features experts & entertainment. Highlights include: Practical eco-friendlier lab practices, how to reduce waste from packing to products, and understanding the ‘Environmental Impact Factor

Play video

Eco & friendly tips

Would you like to make your lab more sustainable, but don’t know where to start? No problem, we got you covered. Find videos and infographics to help you make your lab greener below.

Go to tips

How do our kits compare?

See how much waste and space you will save when using our QIAwave Kits compared to our standard kits in this free illustrated infographic.

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Concentrated buffers

QIAwave Kits come with new buffer concentrates, now saving up to 93% plastic per bottle, previously up to 86%, compared to our standard buffers. Watch the video to see how to reconstitute the buffers in four simple steps.

Reusable Waste Tubes

We’ve replaced our standard Collection Tubes with new Waste Tubes made from 100% recycled plastic that you can reuse throughout the procedure without causing cross-contamination. Watch the video to see how easy it is to reuse the Waste Tubes.

The QIAwave Kits slightly reduce waste through reusable waste tubes and buffer concentrates. The relatively minor inconvenience is offset by the percentage reduction in plastic. I look forward to seeing more innovations to help reduce the footprint of biomedical research.

George Chao, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Medical School

Eco & friendly tips

Freezers

Did you know that a single ultra ultra-low temperature freezer can use as much energy as an entire American household? Learn how to decrease energy consumed by your lab, save space and reduce waste. The information in the video is also available in infographic form.

Equipment

Extend the life of your equipment, reduce the risk of fire, and save a lot on your lab’s energy bill. This video contains simple steps that you can take to make your lab more sustainable . We’ve also created an infographic summarizing the content of the video.

Reducing waste

It’s time to apply that old tried & true phrase, ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ to your laboratory. Here, you’ll find easy tricks and tips to reduce plastics, packing and more types of lab waste. In addition to the video, we also have an infographic with the same information.

Be the first to know

The journey to greener science has just begun, and we hope you’re as excited as us to be a part of it. We can’t wait to share more sustainable products and innovations with you. Sign up to get the latest updates, releases and news.

On-demand webinars

The Chagos Archipelago: Coral Reefs from the Days of Yore

Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean is one of the largest and most remote marine protected areas in the world. Dr. Wilson gives an illuminating overview of his research on the world's rarest coral.

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Hard work and heart work – A short guide to lab sustainability

Stefan Thiele from the University of Bergen covers: the 9Rs of sustainability, important strategies and sources for sustainable development and what the sustainability teams at QIAGEN and the University of Bergen have done in recent years.

Register now

Tips and tricks for a more sustainable lab

Learn various ways how to make your lab more sustainable and reduce your environmental impact from Eva Haenssler , our associate director for Life Science R&D and James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab.

Register now

Working towards more sustainable research

This show features experts & entertainment. Highlights include: Practical eco-friendlier lab practices, how to reduce waste from packing to products, and understanding the ‘Environmental Impact Factor Label’

Play video

Meet the products

Meet the products (3)

dna purification genomic dna

QIAwave DNA Blood & Tissue Kit

For a more eco-friendly alternative to our standard kit for extracting total DNA from animal blood and tissues, cells, yeast, or bacteria.

dna purification plasmid dna

QIAwave Plasmid Miniprep Kit

For a more eco-friendly alternative to our standard kit for extracting up to 20 μg molecular biology grade plasmid DNA

rna purification total rna

QIAwave RNA Mini Kit

For a more eco-friendly alternative to our standard kit for extracting total RNA from cells, tissues, and yeast.

More to explore

Let’s talk about sustainability

Heather Worsley, from our global sustainability team, shares her thoughts on how QIAGEN is addressing environmental issues.

How to make your lab more eco-friendly

Dr. Markus Sprenger-Haussels, head of QIAGEN Sample Tech R&D, talks about QIAwave and offers top tips for reducing waste and energy usage in the lab.

Recycling card

Your guide to recycling QIAGEN kit components and reducing plastic waste in your lab.

Download now

What can Arctic microbes tell us about climate change?

Microbial ecologist, Stefan Thiele, travels to the most remote areas of the Arctic to study microbial communities in the ice.

FAQs

To ensure water consumption in the lab, you can take several steps.

Ensure that all faucets and plumbing fixtures are in good working condition to prevent leaks.
Encourage responsible water usage by raising awareness among lab users.
Additionally, consider using water water-saving equipment, such as low low-flow faucets and water water-efficient autoclaves.

To minimize chemical waste in a lab, it is important to adopt good practices.

Accurately measure and dispense chemicals, use only the necessary amounts, and avoid over over-ordering or stockpiling chemicals.
Implement proper labeling, storage, and disposal procedures for hazardous chemicals. This is crucial to prevent accidental spills and contamination.

Before we kicked-off the development of the QIAwave kits, we conducted a life cycle assessment of our best best-selling sample products, the QIAamp DNA Mini Kit. The scope of the study has been the full life cycle of the product, including extraction and processing of raw materials, transport to the customer, energy and material input required when using the product, as well as the transport to the disposal facility and incineration of remaining materials. The results of the LCA show that the largest relative impacts result from the production of plastic, transport and electricity during production and use. Based on these results, we developed the QIAwave concept, focusing on plastic reduction.

You can calculate your savings based on the kit you are using and your throughput with our waste calculator.

No, the chemistry of the QIAwave kits remains the same as our legacy kits, delivering identical performance. QIAwave buffers come as concentrates, reducing plastic usage per bottle while maintaining the same functionality after reconstitution. The key advantage of the QIAwave kits lies in the reduction of materials used for the kits, such as plastic, cardboard and paper. Furthermore, the kits feature Waste Tubes created from 100% post post-consumer recycled plastic.

We provide a recycling card describing the composition of most QIAGEN purification kits. You can use this information as a guide to recycle kit components and use it to reduce plastic waste in your laboratory. Depending on the specific kit and application, certain kit components may contain or come into contact with chemicals and biological samples and should be disposed of according to local guidelines and regulations.