VWR Launches "Gown Up, Give Back," a Garment Recycling Solution for Customers

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Dec 02, 2014, 09:05 ET

RADNOR, Pa., Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- VWR (NASDAQ: VWR), a leading, independent provider of laboratory products, services and solutions, announced the launch of its second major recycling solution for customers. VWR's garment recycling solution, "Gown Up, Give Back," will allow VWR's U.S. customers to recycle a variety of single-use garments purchased from VWR.

Each year, millions of pounds of single-use garments end up in the landfill. With VWR's recycling solution, customers have the opportunity to give new life to their used garments. The plastic waste from these garments is recycled into resin that is used to make permanent infrastructure including composite decking, railroad ties and drainage pipes.

Similar to VWR's pipet tip box recycling program, this new easy-to-use garment recycling program provides a waste collection, shipment, and recycling solution for most single-use garments as long as they are free from contamination and purchased from VWR.

VWR also announced that its first customer recycling solution, "From the Lab Bench to the Park Bench" reached another milestone. Since launching this program two years ago, VWR's solution has helped to divert more than 230,000 pipet tip boxes, equal to 40,000 pounds of waste, out of landfills; an outstanding achievement that could only be accomplished with the support of its customers. The plastic waste collected in the U.S. and Canada for this program is pelletized and converted into park benches and other eco-friendly products. VWR is proud of the commitment its customers have made to the success of these programs and their efforts to make a difference.

"VWR is excited to help support our customers' sustainability goals by reducing their landfill waste with our pipet tip box and garment recycling solutions," said Mark McLoughlin, SVP and President, U.S. Lab and Distribution Services. "We will continue to do our part to reduce the environmental impact along our supply chain and look forward to partnering with our customers to grow these programs in the future as we help enable science through our solutions."

About VWR

VWR (NASDAQ: VWR), headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is a leading, independent provider of laboratory products, services and solutions with worldwide sales in excess of $4.1 billion in 2013. VWR enables science in laboratory and production facilities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, industrial, education, government and healthcare industries. With more than 160 years of experience, VWR offers a well-established network that reaches thousands of specialized laboratories and facilities spanning the globe. VWR has more than 8,500 associates working to streamline the way scientists, medical professionals and production engineers stock and manage their businesses. In addition, VWR supports its customers by providing other value-added service offerings, research support, laboratory services and operations services.

For more information on VWR, phone 1-800-932-5000 or visit www.vwr.com.

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