Many of the companies at the AACC Clinical Lab Expo held in Chicago were showcasing new tests added to workflows and production lines, but few were thinking about launching new advancements that make instruments better for the environment or better for the life of the laboratory.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is certainly in the hunt to move from research to routine, but also has been working on a top-to-bottom business review of how to make products that are more efficient and sustainable. “There is a lot of noise in a lab environment and we have been working to reduce that noise to levels that are barely noticeable,” said William “Bill” McMahon, president of Laboratory Equipment while demonstrating a TSX Series under the counter 35 decibel lab refrigeration unit at AACC.

Besides noise reduction—to the level its next generation of products. The target energy reduction footprint is between 35%–50%, which will not only be better for the environment but also a lower cost to operate for the lab.Specifications for the US EPA ENERGY STAR program for laboratory refrigerator and freezers was presented starting in December 2016 and published this May.