We believe the world needs veterinary care that is sustainable – allowing pets, people, and the planet to flourish. We have launched focused efforts to shrink our footprint including limiting material waste, reducing emissions, and managing antimicrobials responsibly, among many other projects.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Waste to recycling
Antimicrobial resistance
We’re part of something bigger. We are committed to sustainability and contributing to the Mars,
Incorporated Sustainable in a Generation Plan*, aimed at reducing Mars’ total environmental impact
in line with what science says is necessary to keep the planet healthy. Recently, Mars announced its
Net Zero Roadmap**, an action plan for achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,
including a new target to cut carbon in half by 2030 across its full value chain. To learn more, click here. Mars Veterinary Health and Banfield are taking action to contribute to this commitment.
We’ve had some wins to celebrate. For example, in 2022 Mars Veterinary Health made the exciting
announcement that all their U.S. practices—including Banfield and our sister practices VCA and
BluePearl—are now sourcing renewable electricity from a large-scale wind farm in Ford Ridge, Illinois.
We have a responsibility, and opportunity, to reduce our impacts on the environment.
We cannot do this work alone, which is why we are committed to sharing our journey and our
resources so others can join us in this work. Below is a checklist of steps you can take in your practice
today to make a difference.
Supplies
- Use supplies only as needed and consider if any reductions can be made.
- Order supplies efficiently.
- Evaluate suppliers, prioritizing those who are taking steps to reduce emissions.
- Have conversations with colleagues and suppliers to generate awareness and inspire change.
Anesthetic gas
- Use of sevoflurane over other gases.
- Evaluate anesthetic protocols to consider the use of lower flow techniques where possible.
Energy use
- Explore behavior changes such as turning off lights and non-essential equipment when not in use.
- Replace lights and equipment when needed with energy-efficient alternatives.
- Contact your local power company to see if your hospital can switch to renewable power.
- Consider infrastructure upgrades such as solar panels.
Travel
- Critically assess travel needs and options, eliminating non-essential travel.
- Have an open conversation with hospital staff to gauge interest in sustainable forms of commuting, as well as ways to support them.
- Consider the planet when traveling for CE. Prioritize hybrid events, conferences with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability, local events, or events with direct flights.
Material waste
- Identify and eliminate unnecessary use of materials. Look for quick wins to get started—substituting reusable gowns for single-use, disposable gowns, for example.
- Switch to reusable versions of non-medical products, such as dishware and cutlery in kitchens.
- Replace paper-based systems with digital ones.
- Install recycling bins in easy-to-access places and label them with instructions for sorting materials. Contact your local provider of recycling services for regulations and recycling opportunities.
- Educate colleagues about waste reduction opportunities and proper waste sorting.
Pharmaceutical stewardship
- Assess your team’s current knowledge of antimicrobial stewardship and the impacts of antimicrobial resistance.
- Investigate your current antibiotic usage.
- Review current published guidelines for best practices.
- Identify hospital-level opportunities for change:
- Primary indications for antibiotic usage.
- Perioperative antimicrobial usage.
- Improving alignment with current recommendations.
- Identify client-facing opportunities:
- Install signage in visible public locations.
- Education about antimicrobial stewardship and the importance of administering antimicrobials as prescribed.
- Tear-off pad instead of a prescription indicating when antimicrobials are not required.
Dive into this topic and explore how you as a practitioner or a practice can reduce your impact on the planet by reading our latest Veterinary Emerging Topics (VET)™ Report: Sustainability in veterinary medicine