At AMS Fulfillment we began, years ago, to find ways to be “green” and we have achieved much. In this writing we will point to the various things AMS has done to reduce our carbon footprint, and we can say with confidence, these efforts have been effective. As this article will demonstrate, we do the work, and our efforts make a difference. We will cover our recycling efforts, our use of sustainable packaging, the efforts we have made to “Green” our facilities, and the extraordinary commitment of our employees.
AMS is not ‘sustainable’ in order to market itself as such. AMS is sustainable because we… meaning all employees… want to change things for the better. We are invested in being “Green” and we take pride in what we do for ourselves, our clients and our shared Earth.
Recycling
AMS has been recycling and encouraging our employees to utilize the recycling bins for years. We provided the proper containers for all employees in the various facilities, so that they could take the first step in recycling their own cans, bottles, food and so forth. This has been a very successful effort, as our employees are very much aware of and in support of sustainability. As part of our overall recycling efforts, AMS employees collect, bind and save recyclable cardboard and other packaging, preparing it for re-use rather than the landfill.
With all of the recycling efforts, there remained one thing we were unable to recycle through our normal process… stretch plastic. We wanted to keep the stretch plastic we dispose of out of the landfill, and in the hands of a company that recycles plastic. This was a challenge for the AMS Green Team. They searched until they found a company that recycles clean stretch plastic in large amounts. The issue was how to accumulate the large amounts. AMS purchased containers and our employees accumulated the plastic on site at every warehouse. After the stretch plastic was accumulated, it was properly bound and stacked until it reached the amount required. Our employees are proud of AMS’ efforts to recycle and they assist in the effort in every way they can.
Sustainable Packaging
Several years ago AMS made the decision to promote and provide sustainable packaging for our clients. We, and our clients, well know that choosing sustainable packaging can make a very positive difference both in recycling and landfills. Speaking with Veronica Lopez, AMS’ procurement specialist, we see that some years ago AMS undertook the research and the search to find sustainable packaging. Of course, the clients of AMS make the decisions on the packaging they want their products shipped within. AMS is proud to make sustainable packaging available to them and offer a variety of options. Knowing the negative impact of plastics, we do focus on reducing the use of plastics. Traditional packaging materials, as we know them – including plastic or styrofoam – are being replaced by recycled paper, biodegradable peanuts, recycled cardboard and even recycled air pillows.
Facilities
What has gone into “greening” our facilities? The logical first steps were to change the lighting in our facilities to LED energy-saving lighting and also to install motion sensors, which trigger the lights to turn off when things are quiet and come back on when people enter the room. George Romano, AMS’ Director of Facilities West Coast, spoke with us about what is going on within the AMS facilities to make us as “Green” as we can be.
The first thing George mentioned, is with regard to equipment such as forklifts and so forth. There was a point in time wherein this type of equipment ran on propane, but not anymore at AMS. Several years ago we began upgrading equipment from propane to electrical. Now we can say that 98% has been upgraded to electrical, and that little 2% refers to equipment we are temporarily using. Another thing George mentioned is that all thermostats are programmable, and exhaust fans and other economizers are used to reduce the need for air conditioning and heating. A third thing that George is proud of, is the fact that water dispensers are provided for employees, and this is Clean water, collected through use of reverse osmosis. We also provide all employees with AMS water bottles for them to use and reuse. And… it is worth mentioning that all pest control utilized in AMS facilities is environmentally friendly as well.
A final story demonstrates the fact that our employees are fully engaged in the efforts to make AMS as “Green” as is possible. According to George, AMS has a client that ships products to our warehouse inside of plastic bags. Seeing this, the employees decided to repurpose the plastic bags and use them for as long as they last. Only when they are no longer of use, will they be disposed of through recycling. For ideas and efforts like this (and more) we thank our AMS employees and make the point that sustainable fulfillment is not just the desire of AMS Management. Our employees are invested in sustainability and they make it real.
Transportation
AMS does not have a fleet of trucks. We do have a small number of vehicles which we maintain with the environment in mind. There are many different trucks delivering products to us, and what we do to save on energy is to unload the truck as quickly and efficiently as possible, keeping at a minimum the need for the truck to idle while waiting to be unloaded. Once again we have an example of AMS employees taking our “Green” efforts seriously and doing their best on behalf of our shared Earth.
Donations and Returns
One more thing very much worth mention is our efforts to help clients donate products that are on the warehouse shelves but no longer being sold. We have numerous relationships with organizations in the community that gratefully receive donations of product from our clients. This keeps the products out of the landfill and in the hands of people who can appreciate and utilize the products.
We also make the very best of returns that come in. If the product returned is in good condition and our client wants it to go back into inventory, that is where it will go. If the product can be fully repaired and our client wants it returned to inventory, we will do that. If the product cannot be returned to inventory but can be donated in the community, we do the donation, with our client’s permission. The very last thing we will do is send the return to the landfill. In this way we do our best with our clients’ returns.
Conclusion
We are aware of the issue of greenwashing by some companies, and we want to make it plain… AMS does not make false claims of sustainability. Our clients can truthfully tell their customers that the product they are purchasing is warehoused, packaged and shipped by a sustainable fulfillment company. It takes time, research, training, and effort on our part, and we are proud to put in the effort to be “Green”. We are fully conscious of our obligation, as a business and as human beings, to protect and care for our shared Earth.
Finally, has AMS Fulfillment been recognized for its sustainability efforts? The answer is Yes. We have achieved Carbon Neutral status with regard to our Carbon Footprint. We invite businesses to contact AMS Fulfillment for more information on sustainable fulfillment.
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