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HomeSustainability & Social Responsibility4 Categories of Greener Alternatives

Product Sustainability: 4 Categories of Greener Alternative Products

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To determine which products qualify as Greener Alternative Products, we quantify sustainability improvements across key impact areas. Each Greener Alternative Product falls under one of these four categories:

  1. Design for Sustainability (DfS) Developed Products demonstrate significant sustainability improvements during our product development process.
  2. 12 Principles Aligned Products align with at least one of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.
  3. Re-engineered Products are improved by our scientists using DOZN™, our Green Chemistry Evaluator.
  4. Enabling Products help make science greener through enabling technologies.

Explore our full list of Greener Alternative Products by clicking below.


DfS Products

DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY (DfS) DEVELOPED PRODUCTS: Holistic product life-cycle approach

Our Design for Sustainability (DfS) framework is embedded in our Product Development Process to target sustainability improvements during product development. Products in this category are new products that demonstrate significant sustainability characteristics across key criteria using our DfS scorecard. An example of these DfS-Developed Products includes our Stericup® E sterile filters

12 Principles Aligned

12 PRINCIPLES-ALIGNED PRODUCTS: Harnessing Green Chemistry

We use the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry to guide how we classify what’s “green” about a Greener Alternative Product. 12 Principles-Aligned Products align with one or more of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. An example of these products includes our bio-based solvent, Cyrene™, a potential substitution for petroleum-based solvents like NMP and DMF. Cyrene™ solvent aligns with Green Chemistry Principles #4 Designing Safer Chemicals, #5 Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries, and #7 Use of Renewable Feedstocks. 

Re-engineered Products

RE-ENGINEERED PRODUCTS: Re-evaluating existing products

Products found in the re-engineered category have been manufactured by our scientists. Members of the Worldwide Green Chemistry Committee have developed new ways to manufacture the products that use fewer resources, are less hazardous and/or generate less waste. We use DOZN™, our quantitative Green Chemistry Evaluator to quantify product sustainability improvements of existing products. 

Enabling Products

ENABLING PRODUCTS: Facilitating green energy

Enabling products are those that enable the research of alternative energy, including a wide variety of novel and tested materials used for energy generation, energy storage, and energy efficiency. In addition to our constantly evolving portfolio, we maintain several collaborations with leading universities to develop and test the latest in alternative energy materials, ensuring the newest technology is always available to the research community. Some of the products in this category may not be more sustainable alternatives themselves, but they are crucial in the development of greener solutions.

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