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Think Green

Fisher Scientific supports the sustainable green initiatives of our customers and looks for novel ways to continually improve our business processes to help in protecting the environment. Our goal is to develop strong customer and supplier partnerships that support and integrate with their sustainability initiatives while adopting supply chain and business practices that have positive environmental outcomes. Our initiative includes the creation of decision support tools such as the carbon calculator and chemical conversion chart, which are focused on process change and chemical molecule product replacement opportunities and well beyond traditional approaches to sustainability efforts.

Join with Fisher Scientific to create a more environmentally friendly workplace. Fisher Scientific offers a wide range of products from natural cleaning supplies to energy efficient equipment. Look for the symbol on our environmentally friendly products.

Download the Environmentally Friendly Product Guide >

Create a Greener Classroom With These Great Resources

Fisher Science Education is dedicated to finding green alternatives for teaching science in your classroom.Through our partnership with Beyond Benign we have developed the following resources that will help educate you, your students, and the public on the benefits of green chemistry.

Learn the basics behind green chemistry:
Download the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry

Learn how to bring green chemistry into your classroom:
Download an Introduction to Green Chemistry in the Classroom
Download Biodiesel Activity Module

Learn about green chemical alternatives:
Download Green Chemical Alternatives

Do You Know Your CO₂ Score?

Find out more about your lab's contribution to carbon dioxide emissions, how to save on these emissions through Fisher Scientific's product offering, and more.
Calculate your CO₂ score >

How Fisher Scientific Supports Sustainable Green Initiatives

Did You Know ...?

Fisher Scientific helps reduce 3.845 million pounds (1.745 tons) of CO₂ emissions through fuel savings realized by shorter shipments via our nationwide warehouse network.

Improved operations at Fisher Scientific warehouses eliminated 1.8 million lbs. of CO₂, 23,000 lbs of SO₂, and 8,000 lbs. of nitrous oxide emissions.

Customer-driven e-commerce through Fisher Scientific's multiple IT platforms eliminated more than 7.3 million invoices and purchase orders that previously required paper transactions. Savings from reduced electrical energy and paper usage eliminated more than 1.3 million lbs. of annual carbon emissions.

Through better management of the 2008/09 Research Catalog production process, Fisher Scientific saved more than 22 million pages of paper -- equal to saving 275 trees (1 foot in diameter and 60 feet tall)!

Fisher Scientific has progressively adopted the following green sustainable business practices:

Reduce
Our strong integrated global logistics network and electronic commerce capabilities greatly improve and support our sustainable business practices.

By allowing our customers the convenience of consolidating their orders, we can help to:
1. Reduce the transportation
2. Reduce the usage of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions
Reduction of order process time by electronic approval of orders and blanket orders for contract vendors:
1. Reduces paperwork and saves on the use of raw paper materials
2. Reduces duplicated work processes that drain human resources and drive energy consumption
Close customer proximity to a nationwide network of secure Fisher warehouse facilities:
1. Reduces the need for multiple freight transactions and carriers in order to meet the user communities' delivery requirements
2. Reduces the risk of hazardous chemical spillage during long-distance transportation
Onsite Chemical Management Services:
1. Optimize use, reduce overall volumes and minimize disposal of chemicals through better tracking and management
2. Reduce environmental, health and safety issues with increased awareness and information

Reuse

Fisher Scientific has a program whereby old (trade-in) equipment can be brokered out to a used equipment dealer or refurbisher to reuse the parts of machines and all of the equipment.
We highly encourage our customers to reuse the Styrofoam boxes and packaging materials that were used in shipping products to them.

Recycle

The corrugated cartons we use as overpack in the warehouses are typically made of 50% to 75% recycled biodegradable material. The used cartons are then recycled through a contracted recycling company to avoid being sent to the landfill.
Most of our product packaging materials are also made of recyclable, biodegradable cardboard material that our customers can reuse or dispose of through their own recycling facilities.

Ways You Can Help Protect Our Environment

What you can do	Benefits
Consolidate orders; combine purchases so that each order is $500 or more	Reduces multiple deliveries and greenhouse gases on campus Saves on freight charges Saves time
Purchase multiple-item packs instead of singles	Reduces waste from packaging materials
Increase item lines per order	Saves paper and energy Reduces multiple shipments
Purchase as many lab supplies as possible from one source (e.g., Buying PCR enzymes? Bundle with tubes, pipet tips, bench covers, etc. Buying Cell Culture media? Bundle with plates, biohazard bags, serological pipets, FBS)	Provides a way to consolidate orders Reduces order processing time
Place orders on fishersci.com	Eliminates paper waste Reduces order processing time Minimizes ordering mistakes
Adopt EDI/XML transmission standards for common business documents like purchase orders/invoices	Eliminates paper waste Increases accuracy
Support institutional supplier consolidation initiatives	Avoids multiple shipments from multiple vendors Eliminates loss of potentially hazardous materials via common couriers
Avoid air shipments where possible	Reduces CO₂ emissions Avoids expensive freight charges

Other Ways that Fisher Scientific Thinks Green

Paper Recycling	We recycle computer paper from both network and PC printers in our corporate offices.
Air Conditioning	We shut down the air conditioning from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am on weekdays and on weekends in our corporate offices to reduce energy costs.
Lighting	Building lighting in our corporate offices is automatically turned down on evenings and weekends to save energy.
Workstation/Laptop Recycling	Fisher employs a federally certified outside recycler to handle surplus IT equipment. Last year, a sweep of equipment resulted in 16 pallets of equipment turned over for recycling.
Data Center Floor Renovation	Last year, Fisher renovated its raised data center floor, removing nearly 35 miles of cable lines underneath. This freed space promoted greater airflow and more efficient operation of the air conditioning system, resulting in a 10% reduction in energy costs.
SSP	In late 2005, Fisher implemented the Scheduled Shipment Program. This systems change identifies scheduled delivery days for a customer and automatically consolidates customer orders for a single shipment based on the delivery schedule for that customer. This program reduces the physical shipments to the customer without changing the customer ordering cycle.
FTP Conversion	Fisher has implemented a program to convert distribution of tapes to electronic transmission where possible. Most notable is the conversion of this activity with Fisher Canada that eliminated six tapes being shipped back between the US and Canada on a bi-weekly basis. This transmission eliminates four shipments per month (US to Canada and back).