JSR’s Playbook for Scaling Lab Sustainability – Polycarbin

JSR’s Playbook for Scaling Lab Sustainability

Overview

JSR Corporation, a global materials and life sciences company, has made major progress in its lab sustainability efforts by partnering with Polycarbin to keep single-use lab plastics out of incineration and in circulation. Across four U.S. subsidiary sites, JSR has already diverted 433 pounds of lab plastics and 231 pounds of nitrile gloves from landfill, preventing nearly 1,800 pounds of CO₂ emissions in the process. 

Led by Stallar, the company’s Sustainability and Diversity Manager, JSR used pilot funding to give teams a risk-free way to test Polycarbin’s Closed-Loop recycling program. The move helped JSR align lab operations with rising sustainability expectations, gave scientists a meaningful role in reducing waste, and set the foundation for broader adoption across the company.

Challenge

Before partnering with Polycarbin, a good portion of the used lab plastics at JSR’s U.S. facilities were sent to incineration, contributing to the company’s environmental footprint. This approach not only conflicted with the increasing sustainability expectations of JSR’s pharmaceutical customers but also carried rising disposal costs and left the company without a way to measure or report on its waste diversion progress.

Meanwhile, JSR’s lab teams were growing increasingly vocal about the amount of plastic they discarded each day. The gap between what the company wanted to stand for and what it was doing had become harder to ignore.

“I have a fundamental problem with asking our suppliers to do something we haven’t done ourselves,” said Stallar. “Before Polycarbin, absolutely everything went to incineration.”

Despite strong motivation, funding remained a hurdle. Local sites were cautious about investing in a new recycling program without proof that it would deliver real value, environmentally or financially.

Solution

To address that hesitation, JSR’s sustainability team stepped in with pilot funding to cover the first round of Polycarbin recycling bins. That move helped labs get started without tapping into site-level budgets, and gave the program room to prove itself.

JSR chose Polycarbin based on several practical factors:

  • Closed-loop recycling—not downcycling—ensures lab plastics are transformed into high-quality products, keeping materials in circulation and reducing reliance on virgin plastic.

  • Operational fit, including service options that worked with regulated workflows and could scale across multiple lab environments.

  • A cost-effective landfill alternative that delivers both economic and environmental ROI.

  • Real-time tracking, with a dashboard that made it easy to see progress, report metrics, and share results with stakeholders.

“I said, ‘Look, I can just pull up this tracker.’ That helped me prove that we really needed to go to Polycarbin,” said Stallar.

Results

JSR has now launched Polycarbin’s program at four U.S. sites, with more locations preparing to join.

Together, these sites have diverted 664 pounds of lab plastics and nitrile gloves from incineration. That’s avoided nearly 1,800 pounds of CO₂ emissions, conserved 146,000 gallons of water, and saved 311 pounds of fossil fuels.

Other key outcomes include:

  • Impact Visibility
    The Carbin Counter™ dashboard gives teams and leadership access to real-time sustainability data, making it easier to report results and stay accountable.

  • Fast Adoption, No Disruption
    Site managers and researchers picked up the program quickly. With clear signage and onboarding tools, labs were able to participate without interrupting research.

  • Employee Engagement
    Participation has grown as the program became more visible, with teams taking pride in contributing to a company-wide effort.

“The barriers to entry were low,” said Stallar. “But we knew the benefits would far outweigh what we paid for it. And that’s been proven true at every single site.”

Conclusion

What started as a small, strategic pilot has grown into a multi-site program that’s helping JSR reduce waste and strengthen its position as a sustainability-minded supplier in the pharmaceutical space.

“I’d absolutely recommend Polycarbin,” said Stallar. “This was a significant win for our company.”

JSR now plans to expand the program to additional locations, using Polycarbin’s platform and data tools to drive a more profound impact and make lab sustainability a lasting part of the company's operations.

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!