Written by Jasmine Leather, Quality Associate
Sustainability is a mindset rather than a project within our business, as at Inter Scientific we consider our impact from every angle. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge to the usual way of doing things and every business has been forced to reassess resilience, adaptation, and innovation – and we welcome this challenge!
As the world changes around us, we pride ourselves on adapting. One of the ways we are thinking about tomorrow is by taking steps towards circularity.
What is circularity?
Circularity (or the circular economy) aims to sustain economic activity whilst moving away from consumption of finite resources and waste production towards a “closed-loop” system, minimising the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
This approach is a world away from the traditional linear economy used by most businesses, which uses and disposes of resources, contributing to the climate crisis.
Where businesses once relied on extraction, commodities, and production, faced with the threat of climate change, they’re now turning to new ideas of connectivity and cooperation to find solutions to finite resources and degrading ecosystems: this is the circular economy.
How we’re putting sustainability first
As well as a comprehensive environmental policy and management system accredited by BSI to ISO 14001, we maintain a sustainable mindset throughout the business and are evolving all the time.
Here’s how we’ve adapted our business activities so far:
- Value Recovery → We recycle as much waste as possible. Non-recyclable waste, including chemical and biological waste from the lab, are processed by a carbon-neutral waste management system as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), which means non-recyclable waste still has a use as a substitute for fossil fuels in various production processes. We recycle cardboard, paper, aluminium, PET and LDPE.
- Circular Inputs → We use recycled or biodegradable supplies (e.g. paper, plastic wallets, coffee pods), as well as upcycled office furniture. Our electricity comes from renewable sources.
- Product to service → Our business is service based, rather than product-based. We also avoid paper documentation and reports wherever possible, within the bounds of compliance.
- Lifetime extension → Our lab equipment is well cared for with a smart maintenance schedule, cleaning, and standard operating procedures to ensure efficient use. Our IT hardware is retained as long as possible with refurbishment. We have also switched from plastic to glass for some of our lab consumables.
- Sharing platforms → We share resources and facilities with our sister company Ventus, including inventorising chemicals and sharing waste streams.
- Surroundings and Community → Our offices are based in an English Heritage site with wildlife gardens adjoining; we foster a sustainable ethos among our team, and communicate this outwardly to clients and public.
As our business continues to grow, we’re committed to building a company which puts the planet first.
Click here to learn more about our commitment to sustainability.
The post How Inter Scientific is championing sustainability for future generations appeared first on Inter Scientific.
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