Bronze award for veterinary hospital’s sustainability efforts

An eco-friendly campaign launched by a leading Wiltshire small animal hospital has earned it a prestigious national honour.

Linnaeus-owned Eastcott Vets, in Swindon, has received a bronze award from Investors in the Environment (iiE), a national accreditation scheme designed to help organisations reduce their impact on the environment.

The accreditation was awarded following a sustainability initiative that has seen the practice set targets to reduce waste, emissions and costs.

Niki Burton, hospital director at Eastcott Vets, said: “The whole team is so pleased to have earned this recognition for our collective efforts to reduce the environmental impact of our practice.

“The bronze award from iiE reflects the hard work of our Green Team for championing this cause and developing a new eco-friendly policy, along with the entire team’s ongoing commitment to reducing our environmental impact.

“As part of the changes we have implemented, we have introduced reusable alternatives to commonly-used items like scrub hats and ‘Bair Hugger’ blankets where possible.

“We are all committed to continuing this good work and plan to introduce more positive measures in the future in order to build on our sustainability efforts.”

The iiE annual audit consists of an assessment of five key areas of an organisation’s Environmental Management Systems (EMS). These include:
• Environmental policy
• Resource management and monitoring
• Progress against targets
• Action planning including social/environmental projects
• Communication

Ellie West, environmental sustainability lead at Linnaeus, is pleased to see Eastcott’s sustainability efforts being recognised.
She said: “At Linnaeus, we focus strongly on quality of care and this translates to becoming a sustainable business and upholding our responsibilities to our clients, associates and communities.

“That’s why I am so excited to be leading our ambitious sustainability agenda, which strives to deliver a better future for everyone. I’m thrilled to see another of our Linnaeus partners recognised for their efforts.”