Mars Veterinary Health Pilots Industry-leading Anaesthetic Gas Capture Technology To Reduce Carbon Emissions
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Mars Veterinary Health, through its UK veterinary group Linnaeus and in partnership with Waltham Petcare Science Institute, has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with SageTech Veterinary to pilot an innovative anaesthetic gas capture solution to help prevent harmful greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
During a typical anaesthetic procedure, less than five percent of the volatile anaesthetic agent delivered to a patient is absorbed and metabolised, leaving approximately 95 percent of it to be exhaled.
SageTech’s trusted gas-capture technology – which is currently used in human healthcare – works by capturing the waste anaesthetic agent breathed out during an operation by safely adsorbing it into a specially developed reusable capture canister. These waste anaesthetic agents can then be extracted from the filter, avoiding current routes for disposal of volatile anaesthetic agents of incineration or release into the atmosphere.
“As a leading provider of veterinary care, we have a responsibility to take climate action at scale and lead the way toward more sustainable practices,” said Ellie West, RCVS and EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and Linnaeus Environmental Sustainability Lead. “Our innovative collaboration should help us take a significant step forward in our sustainability journey, aimed at contributing to a better future for the planet – and the people and pets who depend on it.”
A veterinary-industry first, Mars Veterinary Health’s one-year pilot will start with 10 Linnaeus primary care and referral veterinary practices in the UK with the aim of reducing anaesthesia-related carbon emissions resulting from release or disposal of these agents and determining the efficiency of capture in its clinics, ultimately supporting its goal of reducing climate-change impacts. Mars Veterinary Health aims to use these learnings to explore the potential application of this technology across other parts of its business in the years to come.
“At SageTech Veterinary, we are excited to share our developed technology and work alongside Mars Veterinary Health to significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with the direct release of waste volatile anaesthetic agents to the environment,” said Iain Menneer, CEO of SageTech Medical. “It has been wonderful to work with the Linnaeus and Waltham teams, and we are confident this pilot project will demonstrate to the veterinary profession how such collaborations can be a collective force for good.”
This industry-first pilot in sustainable veterinary care is consistent with Mars, Incorporated’s Net Zero Roadmap, a detailed action plan for achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as well as details on the company’s progress and history of working on climate action. Details about Mars, Incorporated’s wider sustainability – including climate – work can be found in its Sustainable in a Generation Scorecard.
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