Frequently Asked Questions

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• What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

  Life Cycle Assessments help to quantify the environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle of a product, from sourcing raw materials and manufacturing to distribution/ transportation, product use, and eventually, disposal. As Corning focuses on designing products for sustainability, we are looking to reduce our environmental footprint across the board.

• Does Corning have publicly available LCA information?

  Currently, the available LCA data pertains to Corning® Viridian® Vials. We are working diligently to provide data transparency for our Life Sciences products.

• Does Corning have a sustainable product program?

  Yes. Corning EcoChoice^™ products adhere to US FTC Guidelines, embodying environmentally friendly practices, traceable sustainability claims, and specific criteria like recycled content, source reduction, efficiency, renewable energy use, and certifications.

• Does Corning have Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) goals?

  SBTi has approved Corning’s plans for emission reduction goals including:

  • Reducing our absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2028 from a 2021 base year.
  • Reducing our absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions, covering purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel- and energy-related activities, and upstream transportation and distribution by 17.5% by 2028 from a 2021 base year.
• How is Corning promoting energy efficiency across its operations?

  Corning Life Sciences has covered 75% of our plants with Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) for 2024. This includes 100% coverage for our European manufacturing operations and over 10,000 SKUs, globally. This purchase of renewable energy also helps support our corporate goal to increase renewable energy by 400% by 2030 from 2018 base year.

• Does Corning have an EcoVadis score?

  The EcoVadis score (0-100) reflects the quality of a company’s sustainability management system at the time of the assessment^*.

  In 2022, Corning (at the corporate level) was in the top 15% of EcoVadis assessed companies for excellence in environment, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. We are awaiting our EcoVadis score for 2023 (due by end of August). To request the score from Corning Incorporated use EcoVadis ID UM718706.

  ^*Taken directly from the EcoVadis site.

• Why would I choose to purchase from Corning when I could order from a local supplier, reducing my carbon footprint?

  Total carbon footprint is more complex than just transportation. Other factors need to be considered, including use of raw materials, use of renewable energy, and energy intensity in the manufacturing process. Based on life cycle assessments and internal data, transportation contributes ~5% or less of the total carbon footprint. One example of a product life cycle shows that it contributed only ~1% vs. other factors such as raw material, manufacturing energy, and packaging were much more impactful.

• Why would I choose to purchase from Corning when local manufacturers can reduce my transportation footprint?

  Ocean freight has significantly less carbon equivalent impact vs. trucking^*. In fact, 4,000 kilometers (about the width of the United States) across the ocean is the equivalent of only 267 miles trucking.

  ^*Ocean is 0.01 kg CO₂ equivalency per kg.km and truck is 0.15 per Ecoinvent data.

• Supplier X is a local manufacturer, but you are using renewable energy to cover your emissions, how do I know which one is more impactful?

  It’s a great question and not a simple one to answer. Overall, our business downstream transportation carbon is <5% of our total Scope 3 emissions and electricity is ~7% total emissions. The World Emissions Clock confirms that energy has a greater impact on global emissions. Reductions in emissions from energy may have a greater impact than reduced transportation emissions, even if the supplier is local to you.

• Is Corning offering recycling solutions?

  Corning offers a packaging recycling program that is currently only available in the US.

  The recycling landscape in Europe makes it challenging to replicate it there; not all countries are equal when it comes to recycling capabilities. However, Corning partners with several distributors that do offer packaging recycling services depending on your geographical location. Make sure to contact your local distributor to see if they can support you.

• What certifications does Corning have related to sustainability?

  All Corning Life Science plants are certified or in the process of certification by 2025 as conforming to International Standard ISO 14001. This standard specifies environmental management system requirements, enhances environmental performance, fulfills compliance obligations, and achieves environmental objectives (documentation is available upon request). View the annual ESG report for all additional ratings.

• How can I improve the efficiency of my bioprocess workflow?

  Workflow efficiency is a great way to enhance sustainability, and we have products such as the Corning^® Elplasia^® 12K flask, Corning HYPERStack^® vessels, and Corning Ascent^® FBR system to minimize your plastic footprint while maximizing your output. Consult with a Corning Field Application Specialist to get help with “right-sizing” each step of your process.

• How do I know what the product packaging is composed of and if it is possible to recycle?

  Corning Life Sciences is working to ensure that all packaging is labeled with the appropriate recycling symbols and information. Until that time, please direct questions about the recyclability of your packaging to your account representative.

• Are recycled or reused materials used in product production?

  Some Corning Life Sciences products benefit from pre-consumer resin, a process that captures scrap plastics and resins from manufacturing for use in production; percentages vary depending on the product. Recycled resins are also starting to become available, though recycled content is currently very low. We are actively working with our supply chain to explore the technical viability of recycled resins for future use with our products.