Over the past decade, there has been a significant shift in how sustainability is perceived within the workplace. Previously, it may have been regarded as a passing thought or minor concern, but now it is viewed as a serious consideration by both employers and employees alike. As with other professions, sustainability within the veterinary sector doesn’t simply begin and end with recycling and switching off lights. But how exactly does sustainability fit into clinical veterinary practice?

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Single use plastics and recycling – the not so simple things.

You would think that by implementing recycling measures and reducing single use plastics within the veterinary workplace would be simple; and in some situations, it is. For example, in office spaces and reception areas, introducing recycling bins separating paper and plastic is an easy thing to do. However, for clinical areas, and for confidential information such as patient records, this gets a bit more complicated. For confidential info and clinical waste, one cannot simply toss them into a recycling bin. Generally, these would need to be incinerated; which, subsequently contributes towards greenhouse gas emissions.

Another issue in this area regards procedures where sterility is paramount, for example phlebotomy and surgery. Equipment for these procedures needs to be packed within plastic (likely single use) to maintain sterility and also to allow them to be opened under sterile conditions. Furthermore, the equipment itself, for example syringes, needle caps and drapes, are, on the whole, single use plastic. 

So, you can see where the issue lies and appreciate the amount of, mostly necessary, waste the veterinary profession produces.

There have been attempts to replace various equipment with reusable versions, but commonly these compromise on sterility. For example, reusable surgical drapes made out of cotton-like material – a good, but ultimately unhygienic, idea for various reasons. 

However, there are occasions where single use equipment has been successfully swapped for reusable alternatives such as scrub caps and theatre shoes (instead of single use versions).

Veterinary medicines – the even less simple things.

This is, arguably, the main issue surrounding veterinary practice sustainability. Medicines contribute an enormous percentage of the veterinary carbon footprint. Broadly speaking, the main guilty party negatively impacting the environment is anaesthetic gases. These, when released into the atmosphere have a similar effect to other, more well known, greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide – they cause the planet to get warmer. 

Other medicines, including parasiticides, hormones, antibiotics and antifungals, negatively impact the environment in a different way – they contaminate waterways and soils, contributing towards a loss of both animal and plant biodiversity. And of course, you also have to consider the carbon emissions to produce these medicines in the first place. 

Anything else?

Of course, there are other factors which hinder sustainability within the veterinary practice. Drug and equipment importation and production, owner compliance when giving veterinary medicines to their pets and building energy usage are just a few. However, to go into everything in detail would be well beyond the scope of this introductory article.

So, what can be done?

We, like human medicine, are still a little way off of becoming net zero. But there are many things currently being done, and under development, which will allow the profession to take positive steps towards being fully sustainable. Simple things which can easily be implemented by the individual include:

  1. Recycling wherever possible.
  2. Reducing clinical waste / being mindful of what plastics we need/don’t need to use.
  3. Converting to paperless systems.
  4. Using more environmentally friendly alternatives regarding medicines and anaesthetic gases e.g. sevoflurane over isoflurane.
  5. Supporting sustainable initiatives e.g. reusable scrub cap companies and education providers (e.g. VetSustain).

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but is a start towards making more sustainable choices within the veterinary workplace.

Conclusion

At first glance, the idea of sustainable veterinary practices might seem like a paradox. After all, the veterinary profession relies heavily on resources such as medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and energy-intensive facilities. We are still a way off of being fully environmentally friendly; however, there are more and more ways to make veterinary practices sustainable which will only continue to develop as more research is conducted in this area.

Further reading