Feed but Do Not Forget – Maintaining the Environment

Pet food manufacturing companies put effort and money into achieving a neutral carbon footprint, promoting sustainable plastic usage, improving raw materials use, and saving energy, among other practices. However, which role do vets and owners play in the care of the environment? 
 

Both pet nutrition and human feeding are important in environmental conservation. Companies should consider specific plans that identify their carbon footprint and launch concrete projects and actions. Everyone should have a positive attitude when caring about the environment, and we must raise awareness. As companies must inform owners about their sustainability plans, veterinarians must contribute.

What is the Carbon Footprint?

The carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that people, companies, cities, or products produce directly or indirectly. CO2 enters the atmosphere through different activities and has an environmental impact.
 

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The specific environmental impact that each dog and cat, along with their owners, has not been studied, but we can build habits to minimize this.
 

How to collaborate with the environment and its care:
 

1. Choose food whose process is more sustainable (sustainable raw materials with optimized process, use of renewable energy, etc.). A clear example is the use of animal by-products or meat cuts that humans cannot consume because of cultural matters or visual qualities.
    
2. Optimize pet food portions to reduce waste.
    
3. Recycle correctly.
    
4. Give a second opportunity to pet accessories.
    

On the other hand, pet food packs, bags, and packaging not only preserve food quality but also give information. Today, the aim is for them to be eco-friendly by their material or be recyclable/reusable.  When choosing or recommending pet food, look at the information in the packaging to know how environmentally friendly the food is.
 

So, what is Sustainability?

Sustainability is 'the capability of society to use resources responsibly and consciously, avoiding the waste and environmental damage during the process.' In that way, we are all responsible for sustainability.
 

To conclude, everyone takes part in the pet world. From our role, we are responsible for having big sustainable plans like companies or improving daily actions as people who care about companion animals' health or have a pet as a family member.

By Dr. Bonaura, M. Candela
Source: All Pet Food Magazine