Single-Use Vs. Stainless Steel: Navigating One Of Biomanufacturing's Most Contentious Decisions

By Seungsun Lee

Some of the advantages usually credited to single-use bioreactors come from how a CDMO runs its facility, not from the technology. Faster changeover is the clearest case, and it is already reflected in the batch price. The costs are easier to miss: extractables and leachables scrutiny keeps tightening, and single-use shifts capital expenditure into recurring operating expense. A 2026 life-cycle analysis also complicates the sustainability argument by pointing to plastic consumables as a bigger share of emissions than assumed. The article further considers why one modality, such as an antibody-drug conjugate, may call for stainless steel at one step and single-use at another. Read on to see how development stage, scale, and commercial ambitions should shape the choice.