Addressing climate change: how one veterinary business is making a difference

MAS is a sponsor at the 2023 Sustainable Business Awards. A veterinary business from South Wairarapa, which is a MAS member, has been named a finalist in the Regenerating Nature category. Their sustainability journey is a compelling example of how individuals are driving real change and inspiring others along the way. 

A journey towards carbon net zero and the regeneration of nature

When discussing climate change, we often think of things like factories emitting smoke, power plants running on coal, or vehicles churning out exhaust fumes. It’s highly unlikely we think about anaesthetics. 

For Richard Kirton, however, they are a crucial part of the climate change conversation. A Small Animal Veterinarian with South Wairarapa Veterinary Services (SWVets), Richard helps to lead the company’s climate action efforts, including driving down emissions as much as possible across every part of the business.   

That’s no small feat for a company with customers dispersed over such a large and rural part of the country. Working closely with farmers, they need strong, reliable vehicles that can handle tough and varied terrains, including remote areas with challenging landscapes.

The company also uses inhalatory anaesthetics to induce and maintain general anesthesia during surgery. Richard says these are potent greenhouse gases, meaning that they trap heat in the atmosphere.

“Some, such as Isoflurane, have global warming potentials (GWPs) that are thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. To put this in perspective, an hour of using this gas for anesthesia is equivalent to driving 200 to 400 kilometres in terms of its impact on warming the atmosphere."

Yet, Richard is optimistic the veterinary practice can achieve carbon neutrality, aiming to become carbon Net Zero by 2028. 

“It’s an aspirational goal and we’ll need a lot of things to go right, as well as getting external support from local and government. But I reckon we can get there,” Richard says.

A data-driven approach to climate action

If the business does meet its goal, credit can go to the serious and methodical approach that SWVS has taken to its climate action efforts from the outset. Richard says the company’s journey began in August 2021 when its internal climate group submitted to the board to measure its overall carbon footprint.

“We've always had members of the team that have been quite environmentally active. This comes from our scientific backgrounds, as well as a number of our staff being relatively young with young families.

“For us, measuring our footprint was a crucial starting point in our sustainability journey. It gave us our baseline data, served as a catalyst for discussions within the business, and prompted us to consider what actions we could take in response to it,” Richard says. 

Data from the carbon footprint indicated that a lot of the company’s emissions came from its vehicle fleet and staff commuting, so these were two areas tackled by Richard and his team.  

Initially, they focused on their vehicle fleet, transitioning three diesel vehicles to hybrid Mitsubishi Outlanders, which offered a more eco-friendly alternative. This shift allowed them to decrease the carbon footprint associated with their daily operations.

Richard admits this came with more challenges than he had anticipated.  For example, the company’s equine vets have been able to transition to hybrid vehicles because their callouts are typically to farm driveways and flat areas. For its farm vets who carry dirty and smelly gear and may need to go off-road, the transition has not yet been possible.

“We’re a bit hamstrung now in terms of alternative vehicles that will be fit for purpose, but our fleet manager is constantly looking at the market and we’ll keep pivoting based on what becomes available,” Richard says. 

At the same time, the company addressed staff commuting, recognising it as a significant contributor to its carbon footprint. The company encouraged alternative modes of transportation, such as cycling and ride-sharing, and even initiated a "summer challenge" to motivate employees to explore greener commuting options.

Richard says this was also met with challenges, particularly related to safety for cyclists and the need for flexibility due to staff going to the gym or engaging in other activities before or after work.

“Moreover, being a veterinarian is already a challenging profession, and some team members just want to come to work and perform their duties well without additional pressures. For those who haven't fully embraced sustainability, it can be a mindset shift, and the challenge lies in getting them to adopt new habits and perspectives,” Richard says. 

Planting trees to offset emissions

One of the early decisions taken by SWVets was to help offset their emissions by planting native trees in the local area, rather than by purchasing offsets on the carbon market.  Richard says this not only felt more genuine, it also provided an opportunity to involve staff and take them on the journey to lower the company’s emissions. 

As luck would have it, a member of staff owned a block of QEII covenanted land, which guaranteed that any trees planted would be protected in perpetuity. The company’s first year of planting saw 1,000 natives go into the ground, and in 2023 around 5,000 more were planted - enough to offset a whole year of the company’s emissions once they mature. 

Richard acknowledges the substantial effort required for tree planting at this scale and says that the company hasn’t set itself a long-term goal for natives. He sees one of the key benefits of planting days is that they serve as valuable awareness-building exercises, bringing people from the business and wider community together to bond and engage with the environment.

MAS staff partnered with SWVets for their 'Here for Good' day to plant trees with them.

And it’s precisely these tree-planting days that have caught the attention of judges at the 2023 Sustainable Business Awards. The company has been named a finalist in the ‘Regenerating Nature’ category which celebrates businesses that put the regeneration of nature at the heart of their sustainability journey.

Richard says it’s fantastic to get recognition for the company’s planting efforts while emphasising that it represents just one part of its overall sustainability journey. 

“We’re learning as we go along, both in terms of how to how to measure our emissions more accurately, and just as importantly, how to encourage others to join us on this journey, rather than coming across as preachy or judgemental,” Richard says. 

Looking ahead, Richard is focused on his goal of the business being carbon Net Zero by 2028 but is under no illusion that getting there will take a huge amount of teamwork and external support.

“This includes transforming staff commuting habits which in turn relies on local government initiatives like cycleways and enhanced public transport. Overcoming challenges like fringe benefit tax on low-emission vehicles is also crucial to our sustainability efforts.

“We're committed to internal changes, but we also recognise that external assistance is vital for businesses like ours to meet our climate goals,” Richard says.  

But whether or not that support materialises, it’s clear that the momentum established by SWVets will continue to build for the foreseeable future.

"At the end of the day, we're a business, and let's face it, sustainability won't work without profitability. It's a tough reality, but that's not why we're in this. We're doing it because we genuinely believe it's the right thing to do. It's in our bones to care for the environment.

“We know we're not alone. We're seeing a shift in the business world.  We’re listening to the voices of our kids and other young people who are demanding climate action.  After all, they’re going to be our future employees and our future customers.”