ALS recognizes that Climate Change is one of the defining issues of our time and we strive to make Impact through Action in the areas of Sustainability, linked to the ALS core value of Caring.ALS intends to make the world a better place through innovation, science, and commitment to best practice. This year the ALS Board has signed off on a company commitment to Net Zero by 2050 as summarized on our <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.alsglobal.com/en/sustainability?utm_source=email-sig-link-ca&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sustainability-report-23">annual sustainability report</a>. ALS is pleased to share our milestones and targets with clients.<h3>Background</h3>In 2021, ALS developed a climate change strategy, setting a target of 40% reduction in scope 1 &amp; 2 emissions by 2030. By end of FY23 (March 2023), ALS had achieved a 58% reduction, and achieved carbon neutrality for scope 1 &amp; 2 emissions – well ahead of plan. In the same month, ALS recorded a key milestone with the ALS Board approving our roadmap to reach Net Zero by 2050 (shared at right), with milestones noted and completed actions shaded green.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ALS_Czech_Republic_Enviro_Mail_12_Europe_ALS_Net_Zero_Commitments_and_Roadmap_in_Support_of_our_Staff_Clients_Communities_and_Shareholders_b157904cab.jpg" alt="ALS Czech Republic: EnviroMail™12/Europe: ALS Net Zero Commitments &amp; Roadmap in Support of our Staff, Clients, Communities &amp; Shareholders." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ALS_Czech_Republic_Enviro_Mail_12_Europe_ALS_Net_Zero_Commitments_and_Roadmap_in_Support_of_our_Staff_Clients_Communities_and_Shareholders_b157904cab.jpg 112w," sizes="100vw" width="805" height="1120"><h3>Further detail</h3>Key projects to date have included purchasing Renewable Electricity (RE) from the grid (we utilize greater than 90% RE across all operations), installing &gt;1.8MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems across 16 site locations, and continued implementation of our ALS Green Building Standards, which focus on HVAC systems, building insulation, LED lights, energy efficient plant and equipment, moving to electric vehicles (EVs), and staff engagement on adopting climate friendly practices to reduce actual energy demand.This ALS Net Zero commitment will involve reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95% and scope 3 emissions by 90% by 2050, against a 2020 baseline year. This is a challenging task for laboratory operations given requirements for chemical, plastic, and glassware usage, and significant air heating and cooling requirements due to fume hoods which cause frequent cycling of laboratory air.The ALS Roadmap includes a near-term target to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2030 against a 2020 baseline year.Over the next 2 years ALS will measure our scope 3 greenhouse gas inventory to confirm the calculated scope 3 estimate completed in FY2023 and will develop action plans for freight, purchased goods/services, wastes, and employee commutes. A near-term target for 2030 for scope 3 will then be set.Priority actions over the next 5 years will include:<ul><li>purchasing renewable electricity for &gt;95% of our operations</li><li>installing further solar energy PV systems (7 more installed YTD for FY24 with a further 9 systems to be completed in early FY25)</li><li>converting gas ovens and furnaces to electric where possible</li><li>selection of more energy-efficient vehicles; 30% of fleet to be hybrids and EVs by 2030</li><li>upgrading to ALS green building guidelines for new laboratory developments and refurbishments (better insulation, more efficient HVAC, solar PV systems, and upgraded building management systems)</li></ul><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/ALS_Czech_Republic_Enviro_Mail_12_Europe_ALS_Net_Zero_Commitments_and_Roadmap_in_Support_of_our_Staff_Clients_Communities_and_Shareholders_2_91b5e7ebf8.jpg" alt="ALS Czech Republic: EnviroMail™12/Europe: ALS Net Zero Commitments &amp; Roadmap in Support of our Staff, Clients, Communities &amp; Shareholders." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_ALS_Czech_Republic_Enviro_Mail_12_Europe_ALS_Net_Zero_Commitments_and_Roadmap_in_Support_of_our_Staff_Clients_Communities_and_Shareholders_2_91b5e7ebf8.jpg 156w," sizes="100vw" width="1089" height="1089"><blockquote>We are pleased to share our commitments with our stakeholders. Please feel free to contact your local ALS representative for further information.</blockquote>

EnviroMail™12/Europe: ALS Net Zero Commitments & Roadmap in Support of our Staff, Clients, Communities & Shareholders

🎤 Presenter: Steve Smith (SepSolve Analytical, Peterborough, United Kingdom)💾 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.cz/paper/28912">PDF presentation</a><blockquote>💡 Book in your calendar: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/events/787">17th Multidimensional Chromatography Workshop (MDCW)</a> 13 - 15. January 2026</blockquote><h3>Abstract</h3>Investigating the migration of volatiles from food packaging is essential for ensuring the safety, quality, and sensory integrity of food products.. Packaging materials can release volatiles that may migrate into the food over time, significantly affecting the sensory characteristics of food, altering its taste, aroma, and overall consumer appeal. Understanding the extent and mechanisms of this migration is vital not only for meeting stringent food safety regulations but also for developing packaging solutions that minimise these interactions.However, the study of volatiles in complex food matrices requires advanced analytical techniques due to the low concentrations and diverse nature of the compounds. Traditional methods, such as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=3-7">SPME–GC–MS</a>, often lack the sensitivity and resolution needed to fully characterise the volatile composition.Here, we employ headspace sorptive extraction and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gcms.labrulez.com/library?instrumentationItems=3-2-13">GC×GC-TOF MS</a> to investigate the volatile profiles of oats. The high-capacity probes enable efficient extraction and pre-concentration of a wide range of trace-level volatiles, while GC×GC-TOF MS provides exceptional separation and identification capabilities. This powerful combination allows for a detailed investigation of the volatile profile of foods and the potential impact of packaging materials on these profiles.We apply this approach to analyse volatiles from six brands of packaged oats. Using sophisticated chemometrics workflows, we identify key differentiators among the packaging materials—cardboard, paper, and plastic—and analyse the volatiles emitted from these sources to confirm and understand migration patterns.<h3>Video transcription</h3>With the global push for a circular economy, recycled packaging materials are increasingly used for food products. However, concerns remain about chemical interactions between packaging materials and food, which can alter flavor, aroma, and safety. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from inks, adhesives, and plastics can migrate into food during storage.This study aimed to investigate how different types of packaging—plastic, paper, and cardboard—affect the volatile profiles of packaged oats.<h4>Methods: Advanced Extraction and Separation</h4><ul><li>Sample Set: Six brands of store-bought rolled oats in different packaging types.</li><li>Extraction: High-capacity headspace sorptive extraction (HiSorb probes).</li><li>Analysis: GC×GC–TOF MS with INSIGHT-Flow modulation.</li><li>Data Processing: Tile-based chemometric workflows using ChromCompare+.</li></ul>This method enabled detection of over 100,000 unique features across triplicate runs of each sample, offering an in-depth look at trace-level volatiles.<h4>Key Findings</h4><h5>Packaging Influences Volatile Profiles</h5><ul><li>Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed clustering based on packaging type.</li><li>Notable compounds linked to packaging materials:<ul><li>2-Ethyl hexanol – elevated in cardboard-packaged oats.</li><li>Triacetin – dominant in one plastic-packaged sample.</li><li>Styrene, α-methylstyrene – linked to cardboard.</li><li>1-Ethoxy-2-propanol – elevated in plastic packaging.</li></ul></li></ul><h5>Confirmed by Direct Packaging Analysis</h5><ul><li>33 differentiator compounds were identified in oats.</li><li>25 of these were also found in the packaging, confirming migration.</li><li>Volatile contamination likely originated from coatings, adhesives, or printing materials.</li></ul><h4>New Tool: Smart Subtract® for Rapid Comparison</h4>To address the need for faster industrial troubleshooting, SepSolve introduced Smart Subtract®, a spectral subtraction tool that:<ul><li>Removes background noise and minor peak differences.</li><li>Highlights only the key discriminating compounds.</li><li>Supports direct library searching and faster decision-making in quality control.</li></ul>When comparing two plastic-packaged brands, Smart Subtract isolated chlorinated solvents and other volatiles responsible for aroma taints—dramatically reducing analysis time.<h4>Conclusion</h4>This study demonstrates how headspace sorptive extraction and GC×GC–TOF MS enable:<ul><li>Detailed profiling of food volatiles.</li><li>Effective identification of migration from packaging materials.</li><li>Improved understanding for safer and more sustainable packaging design.</li></ul>Combined with tile-based chemometrics and Smart Subtract®, this approach is suitable for both research and fast industrial diagnostics.<blockquote>This text has been automatically transcribed from a video presentation using AI technology. It may contain inaccuracies and is not guaranteed to be 100% correct.</blockquote>

Investigating the impact of packaging on oat volatiles using GC×GC–TOF MS (Steve Smith, MDCW 2025)

An international team of researchers from the Czech Republic, Germany and China has used nanotechnology and atomic engineering to develop a groundbreaking material that can transform a wide range of organic compounds into desired products under ambient conditions, powered solely by solar energy and using water as a proton source. The material’s development marks a significant step towards finding alternatives for the environmentally and economically demanding hydrogenation reactions widely used in organic chemistry and pharmaceutical and agrochemical production. The study, which includes contributions from scientists at the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) at Palacký University, was published in the prestigious <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202504108">journal Advanced Materials.</a>Hydrogenation reactions are integral to hundreds of chemical manufacturing processes across agrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemistry and many other sectors, with a combined market worth tens of billions of dollars. However, many photocatalysts currently in use are unable to achieve the yields required for industrial-scale applications and suffer from limited selectivity, meaning they struggle to steer chemical reactions towards the desired products. Moreover, they often require the assistance of additional agents, such as water activation using magnesium, and their applicability is restricted to a narrow range of organic reactions. Finding new solutions that, unlike existing ones, can operate under low temperatures and pressures and without the use of gaseous hydrogen, represents a major scientific and industrial challenge. One promising approach involves using water as a proton source in combination with suitable photocatalysts that enable efficient transformation powered by solar energy.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_novy_mateiral_umoznuje_vyrobu_chemikalii_s_vyuzitim_slunce_a_vody_9eeef6e892.jpg" alt="CATRIN: New material enables chemical production using sunlight and water" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_novy_mateiral_umoznuje_vyrobu_chemikalii_s_vyuzitim_slunce_a_vody_9eeef6e892.jpg 110w," sizes="100vw" width="1086" height="1536">“In developing a new type of photocatalyst, we combined expertise in nanotechnology and atomic engineering,” said corresponding author Radek Zbořil. “Together with our international collaborators, we designed and synthesized a material consisting of palladium nanoparticles anchored within a two-dimensional carbon nitride matrix. Isolated palladium atoms in various oxidation states were incorporated in the vicinity of these nanoparticles. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the components, the new material managed to convert a broad range of organic compounds into desired products with exceptional yields and selectivities, paving the way for industrial applications.”During the research, the team observed that the reaction yields increased dramatically when isolated palladium atoms in varying oxidation states were located near the nanoparticles. “We therefore intentionally designed a composite system in which isolated palladium atoms attracted photogenerated holes to oxidize water, while nanoparticles facilitated the transfer of hydrogen to unsaturated bonds in organic molecules. This is a unique concept that could revolutionize catalytic processes in organic chemistry,” explained Giorgio Zoppellaro, who played a key role in elucidating the material’s mechanism of action.The research teams from CATRIN and VSB-TUO, in collaboration with colleagues from Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, have been investigating hydrogenation reactions for years. They have already published several pioneering studies focused on new technologies for synthesizing amine compounds (e.g. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-021-00722-x">Chandrashekhar et al. Nat. Catal. 2022</a>; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01353-y">Cheruvathoor Poulose et al. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2023</a>).

New material enables chemical production using sunlight and water

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New material enables chemical production using sunlight and water

EnviroMail™12/Europe: ALS Net Zero Commitments & Roadmap in Support of our Staff, Clients, Communities & Shareholders

Investigating the impact of packaging on oat volatiles using GC×GC–TOF MS (Steve Smith, MDCW 2025)