At Henry Schein Dental UK, we are committed to becoming the greenest business we can be. We’re investing the time, resources and expertise required to explore new ways of reducing our environmental impact and encouraging a greener lifestyle.

The environmental crisis facing our planet is gaining increasing attention from people around the world. The message is clear: we must act now so that nature can heal itself and stop human beings' negative impact on it.

An increased demand for transparency and communication of environmental initiatives, as well as growing consumer demand for “green” products that are ethically sourced through the supply chain—from raw materials to end-of-life product disposal—has led businesses to become more environmentally conscious.

At Henry Schein UK & Ireland, we are committed to evaluating and implementing initiatives that reduce or offset our overall environmental footprint, starting with achieving our certification in ISO 14001.



Some of the Actions We Are Taking
Reduce


    
    
  • We now have a "paperless" Head Office. Documents are always shared digitally as a preference, and only printed if absolutely necessary.
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  • By introducing hybrid working policies, we have reduced staff travel for head office employees as well as increasing the use of secure video conferencing. If possible, meetings are held virtually rather than involving travel.
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  • We use air dryers in bathrooms to save paper.
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  • Motion sensors throughout our head office and warehouses are used to ensure lighting is only active when necessary. We have also installed low energy lighting too.
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Reuse


    
    
  • We have eliminated the need for single use plastic bottles by providing all staff with reusable drinks bottles. Water dispensing machines are available throughout our head office and warehouse complex, connected to the mains supply.
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Recycle


    
    
  • We recycle all possible materials in our head office and warehouse including paper, cardboard, plastics and metals, with information for colleagues at every recycling point.
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  • Cardboard and plastics are baled for efficient transport from our warehouse.
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  • The stretch wrap used by our warehousing teams has been switched from virgin materials to 30% recycled LDPE.
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Rethink


    
    
  • We stock a range of eco-friendly dental supplies which also offer excellent value. We will review the range regularly and introduce new products where we can.
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  • We’ve switched from using standard paper in our flyers to FSC mix paper: that means that the paper is from sustainable woodland with high conservation values, minimal use of chemicals, and forest that is managed in a way that benefits both workers and the local community. You’ll see the “FSC Mix” logo on the back of all our flyers.
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  • We’ve stopped using non-biodegradable bags for our flyer packs, and now use oxo-biodegradable bags. This will save an estimated 25,000 single use bags annually, equivalent to over 15km of plastic bags laid end to end (longer than 1,000 London buses!). This plastic contains a unique additive that, upon weathering, biotransforms the material into a bioavailable wax that can be mineralised by naturally occurring bacteria and fungi with 1-2 years, leaving no microplastics behind. Our biodegradable bags ensure that our flyers reach you in perfect condition, but will degrade naturally when composted. Our film conforms to BSI PAS 9017:2020 for biodegradability of polyolefins. More information can be found at www.polymateria.com
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  • We are introducing a digital cloud-proofing tool for our Creative and marketing teams. This means we can reduce our use of paper further still as the whole flyer production cycle will be digital up until the point of printing on FSC Mix paper.
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  • We have set up an internal sustainability employee group who are examining processes across all areas of our business to help drive sustainability improvements.
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  • Colleagues are encouraged to car-share and travel to the office by walking or public transport if possible.
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  • We have also installed electric car charging points in our head office.
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  • We have created an intranet where our team can view and share ideas on how we can become more eco-friendly as home as well as within the office.
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