Sustainability Champions: Stallar from JSR

How One Leader Used Pilot Funding to Scale Lab Recycling Across a Portfolio

Meet Stallar, the Sustainability and Diversity Manager at JSR Corporation, who helped jump-start lab recycling efforts across multiple U.S. sites by using pilot funding as a strategic lever. By removing cost barriers up front, she gave individual labs the freedom to test Polycarbin’s closed-loop recycling program, setting off a wave of momentum from the bottom up. Here, she shares how she built trust, removed roadblocks, and helped scale sustainability impact across the organization.

Q: Can you tell us how you got started in lab sustainability and about your role at JSR?

My background isn’t in labs or pharmaceuticals. It’s in sustainability. While the responsibilities of sustainability professionals are fairly consistent across industries, each field has its own environmental impact to understand and address.

At JSR, part of my job is making sure we meet the environmental expectations set by our pharmaceutical customers. They’re looking for partners who take sustainability seriously, so we need to understand our footprint and show improvements. That’s where a program like Polycarbin’s comes in, because it offers a straightforward way to address lab plastic waste.

I believe we can’t ask our suppliers to take action if we haven’t done the same ourselves. By implementing solutions internally, we can lead by example and push those same expectations down the supply chain.

Q: What has it meant to you personally to take ownership of JSR’s lab recycling and sustainability efforts?

It’s been a personal win for me. I got to own this project. In a big company that can be hesitant about change, it’s not always easy to push something new forward. Seeing this program take off across our sites and knowing I helped make that happen has been rewarding. It’s one thing to hold the title, but it’s another to see the results of something you’ve led.

Q: How did you help shift mindsets across different teams and sites?

A lot of the push came from the people in the labs themselves. Scientists were already paying attention. They’d say, “I’m constantly throwing away all this plastic, and I don’t like it.” They became our advocates. They wanted a better solution and were ready to help make it happen.

On the organizational side, we had to make sure the program didn’t feel like a burden. That’s why the sustainability department covered the cost of the first recycling boxes. We wanted sites to feel like they were getting an opportunity, not taking on a risk.

Once people saw how easy it was to implement, they were willing to give it a try. And once one site got going, it sparked interest at the others. People started asking, “How can we get this here, too?” It became a mix of bottom-up enthusiasm and top-down support, working together to shift the mindset across the board.

Q: What have you learned about collaborating across departments and with external partners?

Good partnerships make all the difference. With Polycarbin, there was no ego, no gatekeeping, no “this is my account, that’s your account” attitude. They were focused on helping us succeed. That mattered a lot when we were expanding across sites. For example, there was one site that was about to sign with another vendor, and we were able to bring Polycarbin in at the last minute because they were responsive and willing to step in quickly.

Internally, I’ve learned the importance of making decisions easy. I kept communication open, but I also ensured that I was clear about who was responsible for what. When everyone trusts the process — both inside the company and with outside partners — things move forward much more smoothly.

Q: What would you share with others trying to make the business case for adopting a program like this?

Lead with the data. That’s what makes the difference. We previously worked with another vendor, and it was challenging to obtain clear metrics from them. There were long email chains, delays, and by the end, we still didn’t have the data we needed to prove impact.

With Polycarbin, we can access the real-time data through their tracker. I can take a screenshot, include it in our monthly newsletter, and show employees and leadership what we’re achieving. Translating the environmental impact into simple, relatable terms helps people understand why it matters. And when they see results, it builds trust and momentum. That made it easier to expand the program and bring new sites on board.

About JSR Life Sciences

JSR Life Sciences brings together the deep biochemical knowledge and understanding of human disease, expertise in drug discovery and development, and access to capital into a single, integrated framework that creates value for our customers.

Ready to see how much your lab can decarbonize?

Contact us today for a consultation and learn how your lab can be part of the Polycarbin mission and help make science more sustainable!