SK pharmteco Earns Top My Green Lab Certifications Across Europe and Asia, Marking Major Sustainability Milestone
SWORDS, Ireland & DAEJEON, South Korea – [Date] — SK pharmteco, a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has achieved a major sustainability milestone with the announcement that four of its laboratories have earned My Green Lab certifications, including two at the highest level—Green certification. The remaining two facilities earned Gold certification, representing advanced sustainability performance and measurable progress toward full Green-level maturity.
This achievement highlights SK pharmteco’s deep and ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, operational excellence, and global leadership in sustainable science. The certifications cover laboratories across both Small Molecule Europe (Swords, Ireland) and Small Molecule Asia (Daejeon, South Korea), encompassing Quality Control, Process Research & Development, and Analytical Research & Development.
Setting the Global Benchmark for Sustainable Laboratories
The My Green Lab certification is recognized as the international gold standard for laboratory sustainability. It is endorsed by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, underscoring its credibility and alignment with global climate goals. The program rigorously assesses how laboratories reduce their environmental impact while upholding scientific precision and operational integrity.
The Green certification, My Green Lab’s highest designation, is awarded only to laboratories that demonstrate exceptional performance in reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy and water, and implementing waste-reduction strategies verified by independent audits.
Meanwhile, Gold certification reflects laboratories that have reached advanced levels of sustainability and are actively implementing strategies to achieve Green status.
Achieving multiple certifications across continents demonstrates not only SK pharmteco’s consistency in scientific quality but also its ability to integrate sustainability into complex research and development environments on a global scale.
A Global Vision with Local Commitment
SK pharmteco began its journey toward My Green Lab certification in the fall of 2024, setting an ambitious long-term goal of achieving full Green certification across all eligible sites by 2030. This milestone marks an important step in that roadmap, showcasing the company’s momentum in embedding sustainable practices within its scientific and operational framework.
“Achieving Green and Gold certifications across multiple regions in parallel is not just a compliance milestone; it signals where scientific operations must go next,” said Darryl Ratty, Executive Director, Global ESG at SK pharmteco.
“Sustainability in R&D and quality labs is no longer a side project; it’s a performance expectation. We’re embedding it into how science is planned, executed, and validated across our global laboratory network.”
This cross-continental achievement underscores the company’s commitment to balancing scientific rigor with environmental responsibility. It also reflects a growing recognition across the life sciences industry that sustainability and innovation must advance together to create resilient, future-ready operations.
Embedding Sustainability into Scientific Practice
The certification process required comprehensive evaluation and continuous improvement across several key categories, including resource efficiency, waste management, water conservation, chemical use optimization, and employee engagement.
SK pharmteco’s certified laboratories implemented a series of initiatives aimed at reducing environmental footprint while enhancing research outcomes:
- Energy optimization programs reduced the use of high-consumption laboratory equipment during idle periods and improved overall energy efficiency.
- Smart chemical inventory systems minimized waste by improving tracking and reducing over-purchasing of reagents.
- Waste segregation and recycling initiatives achieved measurable reductions in landfill contributions and hazardous waste disposal.
- Employee engagement campaigns promoted a “green culture” within labs, empowering scientists and technicians to take ownership of sustainability practices.
These measures not only supported certification but also reinforced SK pharmteco’s broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy—demonstrating that sustainability and scientific advancement can operate hand-in-hand.
Three Pillars of Sustainable Growth
The company’s pursuit of My Green Lab certification aligns directly with its three-pronged global sustainability strategy:
- Responsible Manufacturing: By optimizing lab processes and minimizing resource consumption, SK pharmteco continues to drive operational efficiency without compromising quality. This includes rethinking energy-intensive manufacturing methods, integrating sustainable sourcing practices, and maintaining compliance with evolving environmental standards.
- Decarbonizing Operations: Through enhanced energy management, renewable energy adoption, and carbon footprint tracking, the company aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all facilities. The certifications serve as tangible validation of these efforts, proving that measurable progress is possible even in complex laboratory environments.
- Championing Waste-Less Innovation: Waste reduction initiatives—ranging from solvent recovery to single-use material minimization—are now embedded into the company’s innovation pipeline. SK pharmteco continues to explore novel methods for waste valorization and circular economy integration, ensuring sustainable practices are woven into early-stage R&D.
Together, these pillars represent a unified approach to corporate sustainability that extends beyond compliance and toward genuine environmental leadership in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector
Driving Industry-Wide Transformation
By earning the highest-level My Green Lab certifications across multiple continents, SK pharmteco is not only advancing its own sustainability goals but also contributing to a broader industry transformation. Laboratories are among the most resource-intensive environments in science, accounting for a significant portion of energy and water usage within research organizations.
Through its efforts, SK pharmteco demonstrates that sustainability can be seamlessly integrated into scientific workflows—without sacrificing innovation, safety, or performance. The company’s progress serves as a model for peers across the global CDMO landscape, illustrating how ESG-driven strategies can create shared value for customers, partners, and communities.
Our certifications represent more than just recognition—they are a roadmap for the future of sustainable science,” added Ratty. “We are proving that environmental performance and scientific excellence can advance together, driving a greener and more resilient global biopharmaceutical ecosystem.
