Through Practice Green, Henry Schein aims to encourage communities to become more eco-friendly by providing solutions to support, educate, and enhance the environmental sustainability efforts of our customers and suppliers.
Practice Green is designed to empower the health care community to positively impact the future of the planet by reducing our carbon footprint and promoting environmental sustainability.
Health care professionals can rely on us to provide a selection of products, services, and solutions to help create a greener practice while providing high-quality patient care.
As a global health care solutions company, Henry Schein leverages its unique position among stakeholders—such as suppliers, customers, industry associations, and community partners—to be a catalytic force for environmental sustainability.
Practice Green aligns with our commitment to mitigate our impact on the climate, reduce waste to landfills, and recycle and reuse valuable materials while practicing smart and efficient use of energy and water resources. We are dedicated to managing our activities to protect the earth and supporting environmental sustainability efforts of our customers and suppliers so that together, we can build a healthier world for all.
The American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM) Green Leader initiative is presented in partnership with the Henry Schein Cares Foundation. Hear from AADOM's Green Leaders who have adopted environmentally friendly practices that are helping to reduce the impact of "business as usual" dentistry and have achieved bottom-line benefits by using environmentally friendly products and implementing specific changes to reduce waste.
Jennifer VickeryVice President of Operations, Ocean Dental
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Heather ColicchioFounder & President, American Association of Dental Office Management
Rochelle GuastellaArtisan Dental, Madison, WI — 2021
Jenny BrownEast Brainerd Oral Surgery, Chattanooga, TN — 2020
Claudia PayeVitalize Dental, St Johns, FL — 2016
The Global Reflections program has evolved into Practice Green, a new, comprehensive initiative that is designed to provide Henry Schein customers with products, solutions, and services to help create greener practices.
Our goal is to help health care professionals increase their sustainability efforts while continuing to provide high-quality patient care. This program aligns with our commitment to balancing the needs of our key stakeholders—Team Schein Members, our Customers, our Suppliers, our Shareholders and Society—and to mitigating our impact on the environment.
At Henry Schein, we believe in a healthier planet for healthier people. We aspire to be carbon neutral in our supply chain emissions by the year 2050 and will achieve our ambitious goal by strengthening our approach to measuring, monitoring, and reporting on our carbon emissions and other environmental impacts. As such, to recognize Earth Day, Henry Schein is implementing carbon neutral shipping in its U.S. network during the month of April as part of our shared commitment to mitigating the urgent issue of climate change.
To guide the Company's efforts and education related to environmental sustainability, we established an Environmental Impact Council, which is made up of a global cross-functional group of senior leaders with engagement from our Board of Directors and Executive Management Committee. This Council drives the Company's environmental sustainability strategy and provides recommendations on how to prioritize efforts. Hear from our Council members on some of these efforts.
Chief Sustainability Officer, Co-Chair of Environmental Impact Council
"My love of nature and the environment more broadly comes from my dad who was an avid rock climber in his youth and prides himself in having visited more than half of our national parks in the U.S. So, from a young age, being conscious of the role we each play in preserving the planet has been top of mind. I'm so fortunate to now do this as my job. What motivates me to accelerate our environmental sustainability efforts is by partnering with Team Schein, our customers, suppliers, our community partners, industry associations and investors to drive change. It will take all of us working together to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C as called for in the Paris Agreement. Let's make this a collective reality."
EMEA Sustainability Program Manager, Global Strategic Supplier Management; Co-Lead for Environmental Impact Council Sub-Committee
"I have a passion for doing my part in helping the environment, and I believe we have so much more we can do to protect the future of the planet. Health care in particular plays a role in climate change, which is why Henry Schein decided to create a global brand, Practice Green, to serve as a home for all eco-friendly activities. Today, many practices are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact, from keeping bees in their gardens or adding grass and flowers to their roofs, to utilizing items that have a small environmental footprint. For health care professionals looking to start their sustainability journey, conducting a waste audit and taking stock of items that could be recycled is a good place to begin. We are here to help our customers in this journey, and through Practice Green, we can help create a healthier, more eco-friendly future."
Omnichannel Customer Marketing, U.S. Henry Schein Dental Marketing; Co-lead for Environmental Impact Council Sub-Committee
"Collectively, small changes can make a huge difference. If you think about how to improve your daily routine, there are a thousand ways to become more sustainable. Some of them are well-known, but it's about finding the changes that will stick for you. Finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint is something I want to instill in others, and with the launch of Practice Green, we're doing just that in the health care space. It goes beyond products, offering guidance to help medical and dental practices at all stages in their sustainability journey. You don't need to wait until you're opening a new practice or remodeling to implement eco-friendly. It can start with something as simple as getting your team on board to make small changes, whether it's encouraging telemedicine or reducing energy usage where possible, to name a few."
Senior Manager, Global Sourcing; Co-lead for Environmental Impact Council Sub-Committee
"Our actions today are an investment in protecting the environment for future generations. Being a mother of two, it can be scary to think about what the world will look like when my children have grown, but that makes it even more important that I teach them how to care for their world. This Earth Day, they'll learn how to compost, and we'll begin our garden together. It may seem small, but I must do my part so that they might enjoy a healthier world."
Director, Technical Accounting; Co-lead for Environmental Impact Council Sub-Committee
"This picture was taken in the Andes, which are unbelievably pristine. It's no easy task to find areas with little to no human impact at this point, and many of us, myself included, will go to great lengths to experience them. To breath in the crisp air without a piece of garbage in sight is exceedingly rare yet unimaginably inspiring. I feel compelled to change the ways we interact with the world around us, preserving it for future generations. With the launch of our Practice Green program, we're helping to raise awareness and help health care professionals reach their sustainability goals. The environment is all of our responsibility, and no matter where you look, there are always improvements you can make. It's not about being perfect, it's about taking steps in the right direction for a healthier future."
President/CEO, DASH
"Our mission is to provide products that keep people safe, and we believe that extends to protecting the world around us. At DASH, we are committed to utilizing a responsible supply chain and reducing our environmental impact as well as empowering our customers and employees to do the same. From optimizing packaging and shipments to donating to organizations that remove trash from the world's oceans, we are committed to minimizing our environmental impact and promoting social responsibility."
Product Category Manager, Environmental Services, HealthFirst
"HealthFirst's dental and medical waste management mailback solutions enable our dental and medical customers to dispose of their waste streams in a compliant and environmentally conscious way. Customers mail sharps and medical waste, pharmaceutical waste, amalgam waste and lead waste to our licensed processors for proper handling and disposal per EPA regulations. These services protect our land and water systems from harmful chemicals. Every year, HealthFirst collects over 45 tons of unused and expired medications through our unused medications return envelopes (provided with every medication replenishment for our emergency medical kits). All medications received are properly diverted and destroyed, protecting our people and environment. For more information on Waste Management Solutions, please click here"
President/CEO, NSK
"NSK has always strived to works towards a more sustainable society. Our commitment to the environment was solidified with our 'Green Plan' that was created in 2021 that outlined our initiatives to move us towards achieving 'Zero CO2 Manufacturing' from our business activities at domestic sites. I am excited to share that through NSK's dedicated efforts, we have recently achieved carbon neutrality at the Headquarters at RD1, our new Research and Development facility, and at A1, our Factory in Japan. Our next goal is to examine the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire supply chain by responding to indirect greenhouse gas emissions and expanding the scale of focus to include NSK's overseas subsidiaries. At NSK, we believe we have a responsibility to protect our environment, and we will continue to adopt initiatives to help realize a more sustainable society."
Director of Sales, Richmond Dental and Medical
"Since 1895, Richmond Dental & Medical has been committed to providing sustainable, all-natural, and biodegradable cotton products. From dental rolls, pellets, medical balls, and nonwoven sponges to cotton tipped applicators, we offer FDA registered medical devices for distributors globally. Our US grown, ginned, and purified cotton disposables are known for their superior performance and quality. We are committed to reducing our water, waste, and carbon footprint, while being environmentally conscious throughout each step in our manufacturing process."
Business Development, BeeSure
"At BeeSure, our mission is to create an affordable line of eco-friendly dental products that exceeds the expectations on what practitioners need, while also reducing our global carbon footprint. BeeSure plastic disposables are manufactured with up to 100% recycled plastics and all products use up to 100% post-consumer fiber packaging. Our partnership with Henry Schein gives all practices nationwide the opportunity to make green choices part of their purchasing decision. Every purchase of a greener disposable product is a step towards protecting and preserving our Earth."
Chief Sustainability Officer, Colgate
"We are Colgate, a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet. In 2022, we launched a first-of-its-kind recyclable tube and we've made the technology available to all. Please check with your community to ensure they can accept tubes for recycling. Our mission is plain and simple: we want to make each time we brush a chance to make the world a little happier. And when these seemingly little things add up, they can make a big difference for a smiling planet. For more information, please click here."
General Manager, Hager Worldwide
"For Hager Worldwide, environmental awareness and sustainability is an important principle and influences the way we run our company. Being a family-owned business, the foundation we leave for future generations is something we care deeply about. When developing products made from sustainable resources, one of our main goals is to make it easy and efficient to incorporate into a dental practice. For example, Hager's Bio Vacuum Tip is a conventional high volume evacuation tip made from sugarcane."
President, HuFriedyGroup
"Sustainability is critically important in a couple of ways. First, as individuals, it allows us to do our part as global citizens to conserve the resources needed for generations to come. Second, as an organization, we can leverage the talent and power of our people to advance sustainability efforts in our industry—both upstream and downstream."
Executive Vice President, Revenue & Data, Premier Dental
"At Premier Dental, we have been delivering inspiring solutions for daily dentistry for 110 years. We are inspired by the great work that dental professionals all over the world do every day to provide oral healthcare to patients. We strive to provide dental professionals with innovative, standard-setting dental products that are both effective and efficient solutions to enable better procedures, practices, and patient outcomes. That's why Premier is pleased to be able to provide eco-friendly products in support of Practice Green. BioGREEN™ Micro-Applicators are the environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastic applicators. Made from a food production straw-byproduct, they are biodegradable and compostable. Another product, Vac Attak™ GREEN, is a high-performance evacuation system cleaner designed to comply with the EPA's Clean Water Act. Vac Attak GREEN's environmentally-friendly formula meets the ADA's best management practices. Please join us in taking one small step in creating a more sustainable environment." For more information about BioGREEN and Vac Attak GREEN visit here.
RDH VP of Clinical Affairs and Education, Solmetex
"I am proud of our Solmetex end-to-end System of Water Safety Solutions. We truly believe every drop counts and that healthy water in, through and out of the office makes a healthy practice. We are focused on providing products that are safe for patients and staff, and that benefit our environment. From reducing water consumption to reducing toxic mercury from dental wastewater, and eco-friendly water treatment products, our intent is to have a positive impact. We value our alignment with Henry Schein. If we all Practice Green we can make a difference!"
VP of Human Resources and Corporate Legal Affairs, Young Innovations
"At Young Innovations, our commitment to sustainability is represented within our portfolio of products and our manufacturing processes. The Denticator® Eco Slim Disposable Prophy Angle is produced with 25% less plastic and its packaging is made from recycled materials. Furthermore, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact from our manufacturing processes by reducing usage of scrap material and seeking opportunities to reduce waste-to-land across our 14 facilities. Young Innovations has achieved approximately 50% LED lighting upgrades, lowering our energy use, and providing safer working environments for our teammates. We have consolidated our use of shipping containers and air freight to improve the carbon footprint of our supply chain. Our approach to Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a mindset of continuous improvement."