VETPARTNERS’ mission to protect the planet and become more sustainable has saved an incredible 17.3 tonnes of waste from landfill sites.
We’re proud to be helping to lead the way in making the veterinary sector more environmentally friendly. Our practice colleagues couldn’t be more supportive as they have thrown themselves into all sorts of initiatives, with many signing up for the Investors in the Environment (iiE) scheme.
VetPartners introduced TerraCycle waste boxes into many of its UK practices in 2020 as an urgent measure to recycle the extra PPE, such as gloves, masks, and aprons, that was necessary during the Covid pandemic.
The move proved so successful that the boxes have remained in many of its practices, offices and other sites so hard-to-recycle waste is saved from landfill.
Since the autumn of 2020, 2,789 boxes of waste, weighing 17.3 tonnes – the equivalent of three large male African elephants – have been recycled by VetPartners. Recycling reached a record high in 2023, with 1,080 recycling boxes filled, with items weighing 6.4 tonnes.
Waste includes single-use PPE, flexible and film-type plastic packaging, empty tablet blister packs and pet food pouches.
Materials like plastic and metal are reprocessed into new materials for items such as furniture, garden accessories and playground equipment, and any paper and organic fibred that can’t be reprocessed are turned into compost.
Commenting on the success of the recycling programme, VetPartners Head of Environment, Social and Governance Dr Hannah James said: “As a large veterinary group, we understand how animals and the plant interact so we feel a duty to be responsible for our impact on the planet.
“Our colleagues are passionate about reducing waste, recycling more and embracing more sustainable ways of working. Practices have done amazingly well in taking steps to reduce waste. Some waste is unavoidable, where there is no alternative to single-use items, but recycling means we are turning those raw materials into something new rather than incinerating or landfilling them.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far with so much waste being diverted from landfill but our work to becoming more sustainable is ongoing so we won’t rest on our laurels.”
As well as recycling, VetPartners has implemented various practices to help it become more sustainable, such as introducing a Cycle to Work scheme and cutting down on the use of paper, such as invoices and receipts.
It launched the annual VetPartners Farming Awards to recognise the achievements made by farm clients across the UK when it comes to improving the sustainability of their systems while continuing to prioritise animal health and productivity.
VetPartners is also committed to supporting World Land Trust, an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most threatened habitats and species through buying and actively protecting acres of land.
Since partnering with World Land Trust in 2022, VetPartners has donated £52,415, which has helped to purchase and protect 524 acres of habitat.
Ensuring the business expands in a sustainable, ethical and profitable way is at the heart of VetPartners’ Sustainability Strategy and its progress is highlighted in its annual Sustainability and Giving Back Report.
The results of its latest sustainability work and charitable activities will be contained in its 2023 Sustainability and Giving Back Report, due to be published on our website in March 2024.
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director at amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk or 07970 198492