Mars is doing just about everything it can to save Earth and this planet’s inhabitants. Promoting a corporate goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, Mars Inc. has entrusted one of its divisions, Mars Veterinary Health, to tackle climate change, waste reduction and pharmaceutical stewardship throughout 3,000 pet hospitals in the United States and Europe.
Leading the way is Margo Mosher, the division’s global head of sustainability. Her efforts and those of 70,000 associates are highlighted in Mars Veterinary Health’s first Environmental Sustainability Update, available at bit.ly/3WKPsbm.
Mosher outlined some of what Mars Veterinary Health is doing and why.
- Capturing anesthetic gas emissions: “We’ve been piloting it at a handful of U.K. clinics. It has the potential to not only prevent the gas from entering the atmosphere but also to purify and reuse it in a fully closed loop.”
- Prescribing antimicrobials appropriately: “It’s a One Health issue. A lot of our approach is around making sure they are being used correctly and only when needed and that they’re disposed of properly.”
- Collecting clients’ empty pet food bags: “In most municipalities here in the U.S., those are not recyclable curbside. Royal Canin has a partnership with TerraCycle to recycle them into different items, like park benches.”
- Supporting renewable energy: “We source from a large wind farm in Illinois and purchase renewable energy certificates. Those are legal vehicles showing we have purchased clean electricity that is then used to cover all of our 2,000 hospitals in this country.”
Mars-branded or not, all veterinary practices can do their part, Mosher said.
“Look at your breakroom,” she said. “Are you using reusable containers and cutlery in place of single-use disposable? How do you get to your clinic every day? Is public transit or car-pooling an option? Many clinics have distilled water delivered for use in autoclave machines, but simple tabletop machines can distill water, reducing the packaging and shipping.
“Urgent environmental issues need action from across the profession.”