Sustainability News

Scotch™ Cushion Lock™ Protective Wrap is a sustainable alternative to plastic bubble. It’s an expanding paper wrap made from 100% recycled paper and can be easily recycled after use. Proven to protect, you won’t have to compromise on protection if you want to ship sustainably.

3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates help ensure food quality and safety, while reducing energy use and waste.

An advancement that makes everyone smile: 3M is reducing steps and materials that used to be required to create an esthetically pleasing dental crown or bridge.

You can count on 3M™ Cavilon™ Durable Barrier Cream to help prevent breakdown and promote skin health in patients at risk for skin damage.

With the American Lung Association, 3M sponsored the Minneapolis Oxygen Ball. $140,000 was raised for local programs to inform and treat those affected with lung diseases such as asthma and COPD.

3M’s Critical and Chronic Care Solutions team was recognized by the 3M Pollution Prevention Pays program for their innovative solution to switch to a solvent free adhesive for a medical tape resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

We commit to more sustainable materials and a greener product portfolio to help lower costs and carbon footprints across the entire health ecosystem.

How we make our products matters. We are dedicated to environmental stewardship and manufacturing methods that offset emissions.

Everyone deserves to be healthy. We are helping more communities access the tools, training and care they need to live well.

We’re cleaning up contaminated water in China with 3M™ filtration technology to keep locals healthy and hydrated.

3M has pledged to donate dollars and Vanish™ 5% Sodium Fluoride White Varnish to America’s Tooth Fairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation®, to support preventive services and treatment for vulnerable young people.   

New digital workflow option for custom orthodontic appliances reduces shipping and material costs by more than 50%.

Our engineers in Brookings, South Dakota devised an innovative system that cut water consumption by over 90%. The water savings is enough to supply about 164 homes each year.

Mobile devices with dazzling displays using 3M reflector films are thinner, lighter and more sustainable.

Whether to help in response to pandemics, earthquakes, tsunamis or ongoing medical relief efforts around the world, 3Mgives has donated more than $23 million of medical products via Project HOPE and MAP International in the past five years.

Using 3M expertise in abrasives, we have developed a tooth restoration polishing alternative that provides speed, simplicity, economy and reusability.

The 3M™ Steri-Vac™ GS Series service app improves ease of product use and reduces the environmental impact. The app annually saves over 100 pounds of paper, 2 million BTUs of energy, 1,320 gallons of water, and 23.65 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.^1,2

3M is helping contain the deadly Ebola virus by sending respiratory protection to those who need it most.

3M™ Tegaderm™ Dressings are now packed using an innovative nested design that reduces pouch material by 30% compared to rectangular packaging.  The carton is made of 100% recycled materials, of which at least 35% is post-consumer recycled content.

3M offers educational content to health care professionals in formats to suit any learning style. Each year ~500,000 health care professionals are trained at 3M^SM Health Care Academy live events and webinars, and 100,000 receive education online.

One procedure that has the potential to slow down a dentist’s day is posterior restorations – fillings in the back of the mouth. 3M science is simplifying this procedure and improving productivity from start to finish.

In an industry where single-use products and special packaging are often prerequisites for patient safety, learn how eLabeling may make a big difference for clinicians and the environment.

Amalgam is a mixture of metals, including mercury that can be used to fill cavities. Over 50 years ago, 3M commercialized natural-looking resin composites that do not contain mercury as an added ingredient. That’s something to smile about.

Jonathan Hester, Ph.D., is a research scientist on 3M’s Biopharmaceutical Purification team. See how he uses his scientific background to help readers learn more about climate change in his blog: Rescue that Frog.

Scotch® Box Lock™ Packaging Tape is made to stick securely to ALL box types, including 100% recycled cardboard boxes, and it is manufactured with a solvent-free adhesive in a zero-waste-to-landfill facility.

3M supports the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) International Ambassador Program which selects candidates for career development in infection control.  3M and SHEA have helped train 80 experts from 41 countries!

Made from over 65% recycled or plant-based material, Scotch® Magic™ Greener Tape is a more environmentally friendly version of our original classic.

Superior performance meets sustainability for a more satisfying, gratifying, greener clean without compromise. Made from plant-based cellulose fibers, Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Sponges are a great alternative to paper towels.

Scotch-Brite® Swift Scrub Bathroom Buildup Remover powers through build-up 3X faster than an eraser pad*. And it works with just water or vinegar — no harsh chemicals needed.

3M, in partnership with GlobalGiving, has become a Plastic Bank Ocean Steward to help stop ocean plastic and support communities in vulnerable coastal regions.

3M’s Particulate Respirator 9513 uses filter media that filters at least 95% of airborne particles.

The next generation in WorkTunes™ hearing protection and entertainment is here, but its enhanced comfort isn’t the only exciting part. The 3M™ WorkTunes™ Connect + Gel Cushions Hearing Protector combines Bluetooth® wireless technology with packaging that’s easy to open and curbside recyclable.

Tough on. Gentle off. Nexcare™ Duo Fabric Bandages are manufactured with pain-free removal and all-day hold using a solvent-less adhesive.

We removed the core in the comfort layer roll of 3M™ Coban™ 2 Layer Compression System and reduced the caliper of the carton which eliminated over 75,000 lbs of packaging per year.  This is the weight of 18 average passenger cars!

Filtrete™ Smart Air Purifiers can automatically adjust the fan speed based on air quality, so your device only runs at higher fan speeds when needed, saving energy.

Scotch-Brite® Greener Clean Non-Scratch Scrubbers have an eco-friendly way to get your dishes clean without sacrificing durability or efficacy.

Here’s a great pairing: ensuring safe food and being environmentally responsible.

Learn just a few of the ways our goals at 3M are #improvinglives in accordance with, and in support of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.  

Learn how our internal design workbook, Compass, guides 3M designers to address sustainability issues throughout the innovation process.

3M is taking steps to help honey bee populations by planting bee habitat and by bringing two colonies to the headquarters in Saint Paul.

Tough on. Gentle off. Nexcare™ Duo Fabric Bandages are manufactured with pain-free removal and all-day hold using a solvent-less adhesive.

3M™ Void Fillers, 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Paste Adhesives and Light-Weight Polysulfide Sealants reduce aircraft weight, maximizing efficiency, minimizing costs and enhancing sustainability.

3M’s glass bubbles minimize weight and improve strength of composites used to manufacture vehicles and aircraft.

3M™ Speedglas™ Auto Darkening Filter technology allows a welder's screen to go dark as quickly as 0.1 milliseconds of the arc strike.

Use silver metallized and weatherable polymeric film with a solar-weighted total hemispherical reflectance of 94% to direct light. The result: brighter LED lamps in Africa.

Filtrete™ Healthy Living Ultimate Allergen Filters attract and capture microscopic particles that can carry bacteria and viruses, for about $80 a year.

The 3M Hutchinson, Minnesota plant achieved zero landfill status in 2020 after working to find outlets for numerous waste streams.

3M™ Passive Optical LAN Solutions are a fiber-to-the-desktop solution helping network installers and building owners realize up to 70% CAPEX, 80% OPEX, and 90% space savings.

Using aluminum composite for the conductor core of a power line means you can carry twice the electrical power at half the weight—without disrupting existing infrastructure.

To deliver on this promise, we challenged ourselves to rethink our surgical drapes–to develop a drape that was better for the planet, for patients and for OR staff.

A team from Oxford University has successfully used 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluid in a pioneering field application to assess the quality of water in the Badain Jaran desert in North West China.

3Mers from the U.S. and France started looking to manufacture 3M products with more sustainable materials.

3M has made a long-standing commitment to efficient paper and packaging use. One example of a recent success story is the redesign of the pouch used for our 3M™ Tegaderm™ Transparent Film Dressing.

3M was the first to introduce a waterless, brushless surgical hand scrub designed especially for health care workers. This not only helps increase hand hygiene compliance, it also reduces water usage and material waste.

3M’s Thermal Bonding Films and Plastics Bonding Adhesives extend the potential lifespan of mobile devices and make it easier to recycle them. 

The 3M Oral Care facility in Seefeld, Germany has found ways to improve energy efficiency by 7.5%.

3Mers are encouraged to use 3M resources to follow their own insights in pursuit of problem-solving and to spend 15 percent of their working time to do it.

Keep your car balanced and on track for a long life with the lead-free 3M™ Wheel Weight System.

New sustainability standards for water treatment products were developed by 3M and partners to help keep your water clean and clear.

3M is investing in students and communities around the world to make a real sustainability impact.

Learn how our internal design workbook, Compass, guides 3M designers to address sustainability issues throughout the innovation process.

3M ACCR used to improve the efficiency of existing high-voltage transmission infrastructure in the UK’s largest electricity transmission network operator's pioneering work.

The giraffe’s tough, non-elastic skin inspired scientists at 3M to create a compression system to help treat venous leg ulcers.

Chase adventure in any condition with the lightweight, high performance of 3M™ Thinsulate™ Featherless Insulation.

Show off your pearly whites with a 3M natural-looking filling without added mercury.

3M provided employees with resources to bring more sustainable solar energy into their homes.

3M™ Single Patient Tape Rolls are preventing the spread of disease and eliminating waste, one roll at a time.

3M salutes our troops by connecting them with career opportunities once they return home.

3M teams constantly scrutinize our products to ensure they are produced and disposed of in a sustainable manner.

3M Food Safety has committed to providing resources to food processors and retail grocery facilities to help reduce the cost associated with food waste.

3M uses Sustainability Week, a week-long series of events, to engage our employees in sustainable thinking.

Scotch® Painter’s Tape teamed up with Project Backboard, NBA star Taj Gibson, and artist Steph Costello to transform a basketball court and inspire a community.

Solvent free coatings used in ScotchBlue™ Original Painter’s Tape #2090 help reduce factory emissions.

3M scientists develop innovative ways to make the 3M™ Thinsulate™ insulation warmer, more versatile and more sustainable than existing 3M™ Thinsulate™ products.

Filtrete™ Basic and Clean Living Air Filters are going metal free, which translates to less pounds of waste to the landfill.

While 3M has been taking solvent-based adhesives out of Nexcare™ First Aid Tapes, we have kept the performance in.

For 3M, improving lives involves more than greater products. It also involves collaborating for the greater good.

Give 3M your sensitive skin. We’ll give you skin-friendly tapes, dressings, bandages and eye patches made with solvent-free adhesive.

Awareness of allergy issues has led to a growing demand for products that do not contain natural rubber latex in consumer health care. 3M is meeting the demand, and then some.

The next-generation 3M Molecular Detection System: more streamlined than ever, for you and for the environment. 

Studies prove clinical efficacy in reducing the risk of surgical site infection with skin & nasal antiseptic. 3M™ Skin and Nasal Antiseptic also solves the patient compliance challenge-it’s quick to apply, effective in 1 hr & persists for 12 hrs.¹

3M sites are committed to energy conservation. One example comes from our Columbia, MO Energy Team, who recently completed an LED lighting project that nicely reduced the site’s environmental footprint.

Filtrete™ Air Filters, the most trusted brand¹ on the market today, now offer a powerful new solution to helping improve indoor air quality.

¹ Based on 2018 TNS Brand Health Tracker

3M Tonawanda, the world’s largest sponge-making location, reduced their water usage by 25% with an innovative change to their manufacturing process.

The number one selling brand of reusable lint roller makes a bigger impact on your cleaning.

3M™ Professional Sanding Solutions last longer than conventional paper-backed sandpaper, so you need fewer, and the amount of waste generated is lower.

Employee team at 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky works to achieve “zero landfill” status.

Through advanced design and materials, 3M developed ceramic orthodontic braces that no longer require metal. This change reduces metal used and metal waste during production. Clarity™ ADVANCED braces look great during treatment, increasing overall patient satisfaction.

“Wash your hands!” moms often say. Turns out they’re right, especially when it comes to reducing preventable hospital infections. Now, thanks to 3M science, you can sanitize your hands with products that also deliver a Sustainability benefit.