Long dark hair with navy blue top Becky Sedman, centre is sustainability manager Hannah James, and Harriet Ferris is in white top with blonde hair.
Ambitious Sustainability Goals Sees VetPartners Expand Team
3 years ago 
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VETPARTNERS has underlined its commitment to its ambitious environmental targets by expanding its sustainability team.
The York-based veterinary group has committed itself and its 160 UK veterinary practices to ambitious environmental and charitable goals that put sustainability at the heart of everything the company does.
Pet healthcare, like human healthcare, comes with a significant impact on the environment, especially with regards to waste and energy, and VetPartners is committed to making significant progress towards sustainability in its practices.
The focus on sustainability has led to two key appointments to support practices that are embracing greener ways of working.
Vet Becky Sedman is joining the UK veterinary group as sustainability advisor and Harriet Ferris, who recently completed an Environmental Sciences degree at the University of York, has been appointed sustainability coordinator.
Both appointments are part-time as Becky will combine her role with continuing as a vet three days a week at Minster Vets in York, where she helped the practice to become the first in the VetPartners group to achieve the prestigious Investors in the Environment (iiE) award. Harriet will combine her role with studying part-time for a Masters in Sustainability Science.
Becky will be setting up VetPartners’ green champions network which will enable their practices to share knowledge and ideas to help each other with sustainability, as well as advising them on how to achieve their Investors in the Environment accreditation. Harriet will manage the VetPartners’ TerraCycle scheme, monitor the group’s sustainability goals and support sustainability and charity projects.
VetPartners sustainability manager Hannah James said: “Expanding our team means we will be able to provide practices with even more practical support, which is so important as that’s where the positive impact really happens.
“We have grown hugely as a company and that means our responsibility to the environment has grown, our influence in the veterinary sector has grown and our potential to have a positive impact has grown.”
VetPartners became the first UK veterinary group to provide zero waste boxes for 434 of its sites in England, Scotland and Wales to recycle extra PPE, including gloves, aprons and masks, worn during the health crisis.
VetPartners launched its first sustainability strategy entitled Looking Forward Together in January 2021.
VetPartners Sustainability Strategy: Looking Forward Together can be viewed on VetPartners’ website here: https://vetpartners.co.uk/app/uploads/2021/02/VetPartners-Sustainability-Strategy.pdf
Some key points from VetPartners’ sustainability strategy:
- As a diverse, highly skilled and growing group, veterinary professionals have a vital role to play in the transition to a sustainable economy.
- In response to a British Veterinary Association survey in 2019, 89% of vets said they want to play a more active role in the UK’s sustainability agenda.
- As the effects of anthropogenic climate change and environmental degradation become increasingly apparent, so does the importance of mitigation and adaptation, to ensure we’re resilient and can thrive in spite of these risks.
- Consumer preferences and the regulatory landscape are shifting rapidly, and we need to be able to look ahead and adapt to these changes.
- As well as becoming more resilient to environmental, economic and social risks, we’re also meeting the expectations of our colleagues and clients who choose us for our integrity and commitment to ethical business.
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