How is Net Zero Relevant to a Veterinary Practice?

Climate change poses a significant threat to animal health by altering habitats, increasing the prevalence of diseases and parasites, and exacerbating extreme weather conditions that can stress or harm animals.  Moving towards Net Zero is therefore crucial for veterinary practices wishing to help combat global warming.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted that up to 20% of medicines are wasted in some healthcare systems, mainly due to inefficiencies in supply chains and over-prescription.

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Here at Vogue Vets, we are committed to enhancing environmental sustainability and already have several measures in place towards this goal.

What are Vogue's Current Environmental Initiatives?

• Reduce volatile anaesthetic atmospheric waste  -where appropriate, we use injectable agents and regional nerve blocks to minimize inhalational anaesthetics; we avoid high impact agents such as nitrous oxide; and we have invested in waste anaesthetic management ('DrugWaste' bins - see below)

• Reduce pharmaceutical waste – using appropriate sized vials to reduce waste; dispose of pharmaceutical waste using 'DrugWaste' bins for incineration in a sustainable fashion

• Reduce equipment waste - we avoid using “single use” pieces of equipment, where those pieces of equipment are able to be adequately disinfected and re-used without infection risk; we only open equipment intended for immediate use; and where appropriate for hospital use, we purchase reprocessed or reusable equipment

• Packaging - We choose preferred suppliers with recyclable and reusable packaging where possible

• Transport costs – stock orders are consolidated to reduce number of journeys for deliveries

• Stock control – stock is managed so that supply is sufficient without medications expiring; and we reuse or recycle stock before reordering where appropriate

• Product choice – we choose energy efficient equipment where possible

• Energy usage - we use solar power and ensure electrical goods are switched off when not in use; the premises and water tanks are also insulated to reduce the need for energy use for temperature control.