Sustainability has become a priority for many people in recent years, and this includes their choice of where to work. Appealing to the best vet candidates is more important than ever, and being a more sustainable practice could help you appeal to eco-conscious candidates (as well as being better for the planet in general)! We take a look at how to increase sustainability in your veterinary practice.
Responsible use of resources
We all need to consume resources, and this is the same for your vet practice, but you can do so in a responsible way. You might consider switching to renewable energy, for example, but you should definitely turn off any lights or appliances when they are not in use!
It can be hard to avoid disposable materials in a medical environment, but you can still try to reduce single-use plastics where possible. You can also go paper-free and keep your management systems digital! You should also implement a policy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ wherever possible.
Whenever you are purchasing new equipment or consumables, you might also consider researching the suppliers in more detail to make sure that you are choosing someone with similar sustainable values.
Minimise the use of ecotoxic chemicals
Some medicines do contain chemicals that are toxic to the environment, so it’s important to be aware of what you are using at your practice. Where possible, try to avoid using ecotoxic chemicals as these can cause long-lasting damage.
Minimise the greenhouse gas impacts of anaesthetic agents
Commonly used anaesthetic agents contain harmful greenhouse gases and can contribute greatly to global warming. Therefore, sustainable veterinary practices are increasingly looking to alternative surgical anaesthesia options that are lower in carbon and less damaging, while still safe to use on animals.
Enhance on-site green spaces
It’s important to increase the number of green spaces in every place of work. Not every veterinary practice will have the space to have additional green spaces, but if you do, this can be a great thing to introduce to improve your sustainability. It will also provide a great place for your staff to have some downtime and fresh air outdoors when they get a break from their busy schedules!
Avoid drug wastage through good stocking principles
It’s hard to know exactly how many of each drug type you will need in stock, but if you are frequently wasting drugs that can no longer be used, you might want to assess your stocking principles. Try to reorder at the right time rather than too early and keep only what you need in stock plus a small surplus rather than having lots of excess stock that may ultimately be wasted.
Dispose of drugs correctly (avoid ecotoxicity)
While it’s important to be mindful of using ecotoxic medicines, a veterinary practice is an environment where particular chemicals must sometimes be used to ensure animal welfare. However, if you do have certain toxic chemicals, you do need to make sure these are disposed of properly so as to avoid any negative impact on the environment.
Support staff wellbeing and development
Sustainability education, training and projects for your staff will help everyone follow these principles and improve the overall sustainability of your veterinary practice. You can also support the use of more sustainable transport by your staff, such as cycling and public transport, to reduce emissions from travel.
We hope this guide to sustainability principles you can consider in your veterinary practice has been useful! If you have any more questions about attracting candidates with improved business practices, you can read about our veterinary recruitment services or get in touch with our team.