Author: Mohammad Ali Rafique, Clinical Scientist
We are an award-winning supply partner for the Life Sciences research and diagnostic sector, providing responsive service and support to our customers in laboratories but, at VH Bio, we believe that business and environmental responsibility go hand-in-hand. We are committed to doing our part to reduce the effects of climate change and aim to not only supply top-quality products and services but to also minimise our impact on the environment.
We have made significant progress towards this goal, achieving certification against ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 standards by implementing a Quality Management System to improve operational efficiency and an Environmental Management System to reduce our environmental impact.
These accreditations are recognised as sustainability standards throughout the world but, more importantly, give us an opportunity to reflect on our working processes and how we can continue to best deliver quality products and services but in a more sustainable manner. We’re committed to being transparent about our practices and sharing our progress in the hopes that we can inspire others to join us:
- We have reduced the environmental impact of our routine operations. This includes a reduction in paper waste (paperless where possible, printing double-sided) as well as energy consumption; we have just finished investing in energy-efficient lighting for our offices and warehouse which will reduce our yearly energy usage by almost 10%.
- We have explored ways to reduce unnecessary packaging and switch to sustainable materials where possible. Our polystyrene and cardboard packing is now responsibly sourced from manufacturers that reduce water waste during production. We have also launched a waste reduction program focusing on the recycling (return and re-use) of our packaging, which will reduce the amount of virgin packaging entering the system; over 40% of our laboratories are actively engaging with this scheme and we aim to increase this number through targeted marketing campaigns.
- We have collaborated with our suppliers through efficiency initiatives to minimise carbon footprint. One example is the adoption of a structured ordering schedule to eliminate ad-hoc shipping; we have a UK warehouse capable of holding significant levels of stock meaning we can place bulk orders while enabling quick dispatch to the laboratories we supply. Bulk ordering this way also means we minimise the frequency of lot/batch changes for kits and reagents, reducing downstream validation burden for laboratories.
While proud of the progress we’ve made so far and eager to continue this journey, we strongly believe that sustainability is a collective effort and more can be achieved by working together; that’s why we’d like to reach out to like-minded organisations and environmentally conscious manufacturers to join us on our sustainability journey.
We’re looking for partners who share our commitment to reducing environmental impact and are passionate about creating a more sustainable future; so, if you’re an environmentally-minded life sciences manufacturer or supplier looking for a UK distributor, we’d love to hear from you!