CVS Group reduces medical waste by 13.9%

Decrease forms part of company effort to reduce, reuse and recycle waste across its operations

CVS Group has reduced its annual medical waste by 13.9% in the last year, as a result of group-wide waste reduction initiatives. This achievement is complemented by a 34.7% reduction in the amount of medical waste incinerated.

The figures come as CVS Group publishes its 2024 Sustainability report, the third since the company launched its group-wide sustainability programme in 2020.

During 2023 to 2024, key CVS programmes to reduce, reuse and recycle waste have included:

• Enhanced waste segregation and collaboration with local partners: This has resulted in an increase in non-medical waste recycled from 31.0% to 34.9%.
• The introduction of reusable sharps bins across UK practices: This is expected to save 21,000 single-use bins from incineration annually, reducing CO2 emissions by 30 tonnes.
• Investigating reuseable operating theatre textiles: A project to explore the use of reusable operating theatre textiles is underway, aiming to further decrease waste from single-use items.
• Increasing plastics recycling: Working with our waste service supplier, we have identified additional plastics which can be recycled by all sites, including HDPE, LDPE, PP and PET.
• The appointment of 312 Environment Champions: These colleagues drive waste reduction, waste separation and increased recycling in each practice.
• Colleague engagement and training: 397 colleagues have enrolled in a waste reduction module on the CVS Knowledge Hub training platform.
• The launch of greener products: A new "sustainable shop" has opened on Vet Direct, CVS’s retail platform, with a 7% year-on-year growth in sales.
• The introduction of a new Supplier Code of Conduct: This includes stringent environmental standards to enhance sustainability within the supply chain.

Over the next year, CVS Group aims to reduce waste sent to landfill by 10.0% and increase non-medical waste recycled to 38.0%.

Rosie Naylor, CVS Group Procurement Director and Sustainability Lead, said:  

CVS Group operates across small animal, farm animal, equine, laboratories and crematoria, with over 500 veterinary practices and referral centres in the UK and Australia. In 2023 the group set stretching targets with the aim of becoming a more sustainable company. CVS progress and targets are outlined in the company’s 2024 Sustainability Report.