@article{01JRCR735576DX8WSKTPAZRZ5Q,
  abstract     = {{Purpose: This study aims to address a gap in literature by conducting a life cycle assessment of a cell banking process. Cell banking plays a vital role across diverse fields such as regenerative medicine, biopharmaceuticals, and food production, yet its environmental impacts remain largely unexplored. Using primary data from industry, combined with literature, this research provides an analysis of the energy and resource demands of cell banking, contributing to sustainability in biotechnology and other related industries.
Methods: This research utilizes the life cycle assessment methodology to quantify the environmental impacts of a cell banking process. A comprehensive life cycle inventory was developed using primary data collected from industry experts involved in cell banking operations, as well as literature and commercial sellers. The analysis covers the entire process, including cell collection, preparation, cryopreservation, and long-term storage. Energy consumption, resource use, and emissions are assessed at each stage to identify key environmental impacts. Results are then compared to existing LCAs of related processes, such as cultured meat production, to contextualize findings and propose strategies for improving sustainability.
Results and discussion: The LCA of the cell banking process provided valuable insights into its environmental impacts, with laboratory materials—particularly single-use plastics—contributing the most across all impact categories. This finding aligns with prior studies, highlighting the substantial environmental burden of lab-scale processes. When contextualized within cultured meat production, cell banking’s environmental footprint is minimal, supporting prior conclusions that omitted this stage. Notably, the use of renewable energy sources reduced climate change impacts by over 90%, which underscores the importance of sustainable energy in biotechnology processes across sectors.
Conclusions and recommendations: This study provided an LCA of the cell banking process, which is an unexplored sector, revealing significant environmental impacts, particularly from laboratory disposables and energy use. Proliferation and cell isolation stages had the largest environmental contributions, especially in climate change and water use categories. Transitioning to renewable energy sources, such as wind power, demonstrated potential to reduce these impacts substantially. To reduce the environmental footprint of cell banking, biotechnological sectors should prioritize transitioning to renewable energy sources and minimizing single-use plastics. Future research should incorporate economic and social assessments alongside environmental LCAs for a more holistic evaluation. Additionally, ongoing advancements in cell culture technologies and waste management strategies should be integrated into updated LCA models to ensure more sustainable practices across the biotechnology industry, especially in emerging fields like cultured meat production.}},
  author       = {{Rodríguez Escobar, María Ignacia and Cadena Martinez, Erasmo and De Vries, Marjolein and Huber, Rui and De Smet, Stefaan and Dewulf, Jo}},
  issn         = {{0948-3349}},
  journal      = {{INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT}},
  keywords     = {{Cell banking,Life cycle assessment,Environmental impacts,Cultured meat,Biotechnology sustainability,Cryopreservation,Sustainable bioprocesses}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{3328--3341}},
  title        = {{Quantifying environmental impacts of cell banking through life cycle assessment}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-025-02438-7}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

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