Our Company mission
Equip scientists to be relentless in changing the world for good.
Science is never done. It’s full speed to a finish line we’ll never reach. Yet every generation edges us closer. The legacy we leave behind is the head start we give them. Innovating and evolving to leave the world in a better place for people we’ll never meet.
Because science is never done. So neither are we.
WHAT WE DO
We’re the global Life Science partner that stays with you until conclusion.
We put leading innovation in the hands of scientists, so they can chase answers, and turn learnings into legacy. One hypothesis at a time. We’re the manufacturer, distributor and innovator of Life Science technology and consumables.
Manufacturing
Our internal development team is always searching for the next solution to blockers in science, then make them happen.
Distributing
We’ve built a global network of scientific suppliers, developing ever-evolving laboratory products, to provide to you.
Innovating
Everything we create and curate is with one intention: to equip researchers to test the limit and find new answers.
Customisation
Whatever research you’re conducting, whatever answers you’re chasing, we can customise the kit to get there.
Molecular Biology & Live Cell Imagery. Liquid Handling & Laboratory Equipping. All of it world-changing.
If it’s Life Science, it’s us. And if it’s us, it’s Life Science.
BRAND STORY
Built by generations. For Generations.
1997
The first hypothesis
Founded in Uddingston, Scotland. Founded on a belief that science could do
more than fill textbooks. Thistle Scientific was up and trading in two weeks. There
was progress to be made.
Early years
Without community, there’s no Thistle
The early shifting of basic equipment needed a hand. Local businesses letting Thistle use facilities and offering basic business training kept us alive. Global partners, like Nichiryo kept us growing. One we’re proud to still partner with today.
2005
And then came the Web
Web Scientific, that is. Thistle’s acquisition of our Life Science peer was a sign of growth to come.
2023
From the UK to the world
Acquiring the manufacturing rights to Cleaver Scientific products marked themoment that took us from UK to global.
Today
Always in progress
Today we’re global. Multi-national and multi-generational. Boots on the ground and coats in the lab from home to Hong Kong. Over 125 countries and over 150,000 products shipped annually. And counting.
Tomorrow
Ever in evolution
We learn how life works today. To make it better tomorrow. So for as long as there’s a tomorrow to come, there’s more evolving, more learning and more hypothesising to be done.
ACCREDITATIONS
Quality’s non-negotiable. We’ve got the certificates to prove it.
We hold ourselves to the highest quality standards. So do the ISO.
An internationally recognised standard for quality management, helping ensure our processes can deliver reliable products and continual improvement.
Certified since 2004 by Independent European Certification Ltd. Our quality management system is independently audited for consistent manufacturing, traceability and progress.
Certified since 2023 by Independent European Certification Ltd. An environmental management standard that confirms we manage and reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
The Living Wage Foundation accredits employers who voluntarily pay staff based on the real cost of living, not the government minimum, helping create a positive impact for the people who work with us.
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability as standard.
Not because we should. Because we can.
The quickest way to change the world for good is to stop it changing at all. Our commitment to greener, better practices is not periodic or reactionary. It’s omnipresent. It’s proactive. It’s innate.
Thistle Scientific became a certified Carbon Neutral Company in 2022.
Accredited by Carbon Neutral Britain.
If it’s omnipresent, it’s a lot to list, but here are our headline actions.
We only deal in products that meet our highest standards of environmental conscientiousness. We minimise all packaging and energy. We scrutinise and optimise operations and logistics to cut energy.
We create and promote recycling programmes for lab items. We carbon offset to mitigate anything else. The next hypothesis: Like science, sustainability is never done. So we’ll do our best to contribute as much as we can.
Always measuring. Always improving. Never settling.
Thistle Scientific is working to become carbon negative by 2030.
“Life Science – and so our business and our planet – will always hold more answers. So for as long as we precede a generation to come, it’s our duty to give them a head start to find answers and make positive changes of their own.
The relentlessness of science might dishearten many. It inspires us. It means our mission is always in progress.”
– Adie Cleaver, Managing Director of Thistle Scientific