Sustainability Trends in the Scientific Industry

Nina Cole

2

Driving Corporate Responsibility Through Sustainability

People• Health & Safety• Associate Development• Community Engagement

(including volunteerism and giving)

Planet• Energy & Emissions• Waste & Recycling• Packaging & Transport

Performance• Sustainable Products• Procurement• Continual Improvement

3

Demand for more environmentally preferable products

End-of-life product recycling solutions

Behavioral changes in the lab to reduce resources and costs

Industry Trends in Sustainability

4

Companies are working to define EPPs and identify products that meet EPP criteria to provide greater transparency to customers so that they can

make more informed purchasing decisions.

EPA-defined environmentally preferable attributes are commonly used to identify EPPs

Recyclable

Recycled content

Reusable

Energy efficient

Water efficient

Bio-based

Take-back

Durable

Easily DisassembledReconditioned

Environmentally Preferable Products (EPPs)

Cost-competitive EPPs Exist Within Our Industry: Centrifuges (recycled content), pipet tips (bio-based),

freezers (energy efficient)

5

Defining EPPs (product must meet 1 or more)1) energy/water efficient 4) manufactured with low CO2 impact

2) recyclable/reduces waste 5) safer to human and environmental health3) contains recycled/renewable content

Collecting Data From Suppliers• Collecting backup documentation to verify supplier claims

Creating Web Transparency• EPP attributes and documentation will be on vwr.com• “Green Sustainable” Search Filter already exists for known EPPs on

vwr.com

Providing Customer Reporting• VWR will be able to provide EPP spend reporting to customers

EPPs: What is VWR doing?

6

Advantages• Reduces waste in the supply chain• Helps customers achieve

sustainability goals• Provides customized solutions to

customers

Product Recycling and Take-Back Solutions

Pipet tip box recycling

Chemical recycling

Garment recycling

Glove recycling

Equipment recycling & take-back

7

This program can help any customer using tips to

reduce waste and increase recycling

Customers can purchase cardboard boxes from VWR to

participate in the program- Boxes come pre-paid with shipping

When customers fill boxes with clean, empty pipet tip boxes, they seal box and send back to TerraCycle®

TerraCycle® melts plastic tip boxes and

pelletizes to make new products

New products are created- Waste from

VWR customers will be used to make park

benches in addition to other products

What is VWR doing?Tip Box Recycling: From the Lab Bench to the Park Bench

- 125,000 tip boxes collected and kept out of the landfill

- More than 20,000 lbs recycled

8

In environmentally forward thinking laboratories, sustainable best practices have been added to laboratory training. Energy saving habits for fume hoods Scheduling maintenance and turning off equipment when not in use in the laboratory Choosing the right size appliance Replacing broken equipment with energy efficient equipment Avoiding the use of incubators as refrigerators Washing labware efficiently

Best Practices for Laboratories

VWR helps customers find opportunities through presentations and lunch-and-learns