IVC Evidensia has published its annual Positive Pawprint report, detailing the efforts being made across its network of more than 2,500 practices in 20 countries to honour its sustainability promise 'to be a force for good across three key pillars: People, Planet and Patients'.
Following the news that the group's net-zero science-based targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative in December 2024, the Positive Pawprint report includes the progress being made towards achieving them:
• 85% of group electricity from renewable sources
• 12% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions versus 2022 baseline
• 1.5 million blister packs recycled in the UK alone
Sarah Heath, IVC Evidensia director of sustainability, comments: “To have our net-zero ambitions recognised by SBTi rounded off another year of team effort, pushing towards a lower carbon future. We’re all acutely aware of the climate emergency, from the board to clinic teams and those in support roles, and feel the imperative to reduce our impacts on the planet while providing world-class animal care. Our fourth annual Positive Pawprint report captures what we’re doing; however, day in and day out our teams do even more than we could hope to cover in a single place – they really are dedicated to their patients, communities and the planet.”
Beyond the measures taken to reduce IVC Evidensia’s impact on the planet, the report looks at the group’s achievements in a wide range of other sustainability topics, from diversity and inclusion to community engagement, welfare and One Health.
Simon Smith, IVC Evidensia Group CEO, explains that “sustainability is right at the centre of the future of our network, the wider veterinary industry, and the communities we serve – as well as the future of the planet. Two-thirds of the Positive Pawprint report are dedicated to how we care for our people and our patients, and we have equally ambitious targets as those for the planet. We are already seeing huge strides in preventive healthcare, with more than 900,000 patients now part of the Pet Health Club in the UK, helping our vets and vet nurses see those in their care more often. Playing our part in One Health is an important focus for us, centred on responsible antibiotic stewardship. Our farm vets have also reduced Category B antibiotic use, those that most impact human health, by an astonishing 88% since 2022.
“53% of senior management positions across the group are held by women, up from 50% last year, and we lead the way with our scholarships and bursaries in supporting students from ethnic minority backgrounds to come into the profession; 33,733 days of internal professional development have been delivered for our colleagues, 40% more than 2023, as a result of around £20 million invested in improving skills and developing careers."
• The full report can be read at https://ivcevidensia.com/how-we-work/sustainability/ along with all previous reports.
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