Sustainability
We are making our company as environmentally sustainable as possible.
Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, “Care at our Heart” is based on our care for animals, people and environment.
Our sustainable future, and therefore our ESG strategy, is built upon our need to care about:
Our customers are at the heart of what we do; they are the reason our Company exists.
Our colleagues make CVS, without them we could not run our Company.
Our communities give us a social license to operate, which is required to be a trusted veterinary service provider.
Our suppliers provide us with the resources to provide high quality care to our patients.
Our long-term success depends on the sustainable use of the planet’s resources.
Our industry bodies help set the course of the profession, train veterinary professionals of the future, and give us unique first-hand insight into environmental and social issues.
Our investors provide us with the capital we need to run our Company.
Our Targets & Acheivements
Since 2022, our ESG programmes have been galvanising a Company-wide effort involving our people and our suppliers. We developed our ESG strategy, which involved at the outset, forming six executive-led working groups to focus on the programmes that are most important to our stakeholders:
Energy & Carbon
From July 2023 to June 2024, we have:
- Reduced our business energy use by 2.8%.
- Reduced our operational carbon footprint by 1.7%.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
- Reduce our business energy use by a further 5.0%.
- Reduce our operational carbon footprint by a further 3.0%.
Waste
From July 2023 to June 2024, we have:
- Reduced our medical waste by 13.9%.
- Reduced medical waste incinerated by 34.7%.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
- Reduce waste sent to landfill by 10.0%.
- Increase the % of our non-medical waste recycled to 38.0%.
One Health
From July 2023 to June 2024, we have:
- Promoted the responsible use of antibiotics and reduce their use, whilst balancing animal welfare.
- Eliminated the use of Nitrous Oxide in practices from July 2023.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
- Promote the responsible use of antibiotics and reduce their use, whilst balancing animal welfare.
People Development
From July 2023 to June 2024, we have:
- Reduced attrition rates by 10%.
- Continued to see positive colleague engagement with our eNPS throughout the year and in March 2024 remained consistent with the year before at 13.9.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
- Increase our eNPS score to 5.
- Reduce attrition rates by 5%.
Wellbeing
From July 2023 to June 2024, we have:
- Increased colleagues saying they have had regular check-ins where wellbeing is a key topic to 84.0%.
- Increased colleagues saying our wellbeing resources are relevant and useful to 64.0%.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
From July 2024 to June 2024, we have:
- Increased colleagues saying they felt equally included at work to 83.4%.
- Increased colleagues reporting they feel safe to present themselves at work to 84.6%.
During 2024-25 our targets are to:
- Increase the % of colleagues saying they feel equally included at work to 85%.
- Maintain the % of colleagues reporting they feel safe to present themselves at current levels.