ISO Standardization & Climate Action at Quest Diagnostics

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Environmental, Social and Governance

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2023 / Quest Diagnostics

Originally published in Quest Diagnostics Corporate Responsibility Report 2022

2025/2026 Goals

Expand our electric vehicle pilot project to include 3 additional lab locations by 2025
Secure ISO 14001 certification for 3 additional lab locations by 2026
Transition 50% of our vehicle fleet to electric or hybrid engines by 2026

ISO standardization

ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized management system that leverages leadership involvement and employee engagement to:

Help organizations ensure compliance with regulatory standards
Improve their environmental performance
Provide a competitive advantage and gain the trust of stakeholders
Achieve strategic goals by incorporating environmental issues into business management

In 2022, we achieved our first ISO 14001 certification for our esoteric laboratory facility at San Juan Capistrano, CA. We plan to secure ISO certification for 3 additional laboratories by 2026.

Climate action

We are actively seeking ways to transition our business to a lower carbon footprint and improve the energy efficiency of our operations and supply base through new and expanded programs.

Facilities

We conducted ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audits to identify energy conservation measures across building envelope, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
We launched an Energy Management Program that includes desktop audits to identify energy conservation measures and to optimize building management strategies
We developed an enterprise-wide operational best practices tool to drive optimal site performance, including monitoring and adjusting unoccupied/occupied settings

Vehicle fleet conservation

We continued to optimize courier routes in response to changing business demands. In 2022, we reduced our fleet miles driven by approximately 2.7 million miles, reducing our gasoline consumption by approximately 100,000 gallons and our CO2 emissions by approximately 870 metric tons
We installed charging stations in our Clifton, NJ lab and plan to do the same at 3 additional labs by 2025
After considering the results of our 2021 electric vehicle pilot project, we plan to transition 50% of our vehicle fleet to electric or hybrid engines by 2026

Renewable energy

Through our renewable energy procurement efforts, we purchased over 34 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy in 2022

Supply base

We continued to engage with our suppliers about their environmental profile and practices. We request supplier assessments and evaluate their responses with assistance from an external expert as we seek to identity improvement opportunities

To learn more, see our Supply chain section on page 12 of this report and our website.