The ACT Label
It starts with making informed choices. Waters has designed many of its products to maximize your lab’s sustainability efforts and complete the rigorous process to be evaluated for and assigned an ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label. These labels help laboratories make informed decisions about the products they purchase, with environmental impact in mind.
Transforming through sustainability
The opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of labs through smarter purchases is tremendous. The ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label was designed to address the need of both scientists and procurement specialists for clear, third-party verified information about the environmental impact of laboratory products. By emphasizing Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency (ACT) around manufacturing, energy and water use, packaging, and end-of-life, ACT makes it easy to choose more sustainable products. ACT-labeled products are independently audited by SMS Collaborative, LLC (SMSC) and published by My Green Lab.
Reduced energy consumption
Many businesses are actively trying to address environmental sustainability while also reducing operational costs. Waters innovative products, including the Xevo TQ Absolute Mass Spectrometer and ACQUITY UPLC Systems, consume less energy and resources while delivering high performance. The Xevo TQ Absolute was the first Waters mass spectrometry system to be awarded an ACT label and features low electricity consumption, gas consumption, and BTU/hr output — lessening the need for air conditioning and lowering costs. The Xevo TQ-S cronos, Xevo TQ-S micro, SQ Detector 2, and ACQUITY QDa II Mass Detector now also have ACT labels highlighting their similar environmental benefits without any compromise in analytical performance.
Improved operational efficiency
The Waters Alliance iS HPLC System contributes to sustainability goals through its innovative design, which reduces waste and maximizes first-time-right results. This novel technology reduces human errors by up to 40% through intelligent system features, enhances operational efficiency with intuitive tools, and maintains consistent performance with automated system health checks. By delivering accurate and reliable results, the system supports regulatory compliance and lowers the environmental impact of laboratory operations.
Reduced solvent waste
We are the first LC column provider to obtain ACT™ Ecolabel Certification for our liquid chromatography columns. The ACT labels, obtained for our ACQUITY and CORTECS Premier Columns highlight the combination of <2 µm particle size and MaxPeak High Performance Surfaces (HPS) Technology, which allow scientists to create methods with fast cycle times and reduce column conditioning and re-work. In addition to the consideration of solvent consumption, the ACT label provides a rating of the reduced environmental impact of the manufacture, shipping, and end-of-life of Waters chromatography columns.
Sustainable packaging
Waters sustainable packaging initiatives focus on reducing size and weight, phasing out non-recyclable materials, and minimizing environmental impact. These efforts support our broader sustainability goals by decreasing waste and promoting eco-friendly practices throughout the product lifecycle. Our chromatography column packing uses recycled ocean plastic for casings, and we have reduced box sizes by 50%. The new packaging is 100% recyclable and includes QR codes for electronic documentation, minimizing paper use.
Learn more about Waters products that feature the ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label.
ACQUITY Premier BEH Columns
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier BEH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
ACQUITY Premier CSH Columns
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier CSH Phenyl-Hexyl VanGuard FIT Column, 1.7 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
ACQUITY Premier HSS Columns
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters ACQUITY™ Premier HSS T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.8 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
CORTECS Premier Columns
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ VanGuard FIT Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ VanGuard FIT Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier C18+ VanGuard FIT Column 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 50 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 100 mm
Waters CORTECS™ Premier T3 VanGuard FIT Column, 1.6 µm, 2.1 x 150 mm
Waters Single Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry Systems
Waters Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry Systems
Waters Xevo TQ Absolute Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer
"Certifying Waters columns with ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label makes it easier for customers to make an environmentally conscious choice without having to sacrifice analytical performance and results."
— Erin Chambers, Vice President, Consumables and Lab Automation, Waters Corporation
"We have long believed that sustainability must be a core factor in our work and the analytical instruments we produce. We know our customers are concerned with sustainability and so wherever we can provide options that reduce waste and resource consumption, we have made it a priority to do so (...) Earning the ACT Ecolabel Certification means that they can be confident they are making an environmentally sustainable choice without sacrificing performance or results.”
— James Hallam, Vice President of the Research, Development and Advanced Testing Business segment, Waters Corporation
Resources
- ACT Environmental Impact Factor Label for Waters
- 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report — learn more about Waters commitment to sustainability
- Embracing Sustainability in Analytical Science — Waters Blog
- ACT Environmental Impact Labels for ACQUITY and CORTECS Premier Columns
- Improve Your Analytical Capabilities in a Sustainable Way — Waters eBook through Lab Manager
- Next-Generation Solutions for Discovery Omics
ACT is a trademark of My Green Lab, Corp.
