Sustainability is key to future success. In October 2020, the NHS became the world’s first health service to commit to reaching carbon net zero in the Delivering a Net Zero NHS report, in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change. The Health and Care Act 2022 further underscores the importance of a robust response to climate change, placing new duties on all trusts, foundation trusts, and integrated care boards to contribute towards statutory emissions and environmental targets. In this context, practices, local optical committees (LOCs) and suppliers all need to play their part. What is more, there is growing public awareness of the need for sustainable plastics. In this article you can discover seven ways to make your business more sustainable.
Appoint a sustainability champion who can lead the way on your environmental activities. This could be any member of staff, not just a manager or business owner. A champion for the business or practice does not have to do all the work; their role is to get all the team to contribute ideas and take action. The person could also liaise with other businesses locally to learn how they are driving down their carbon footprint
Research the issues for your practice. Look up the latest research on the Annual Carbon Footprint of NHS Sight Tests at Five Optometry Practices to see where changes need to be made to cut emissions. Do the Association of British Dispensing Opticians’ sustainability self-assessment, which will help you see what you are doing already and sign up at the end for emails to help you make small changes each week.
Understanding your own carbon emissions will help you know where to make canges for te most effect. You will get a general idea from the carbon footprint report, but doing your own carbon footprinting will help you focus on where to make change. There are carbon footprinting courses to help if you want to do it yourself, or you can talk to a carbon footprintingconsultant for advice.
To assess what action to take on travel, why not do a travel survey to see how patients and staff get to the practice or business? You could hold a car-free day, ideally in collaboration with other local businesses. You could also talk to staff and develop initiatives to encourage car sharing, walking or cycling to work. There are also incentives to help businesses encourage staff to use electric vehicles or bikes.
Have a ‘switch off’ campaign one week to encourage staff to notice when lights and other devices are left on in empty rooms. Movement detector switches can help in corridors and toilets. Switching to LED lights can have a long term cost saving, while timers for window displays so they go off automatically overnight can save in the short term. You could also look into solar power for a longer term saving. If you do not have one yet, think about getting a smart meter, which will help you monitor your fuel use. Remember to check for water leaks in the practice. These actions will help you cut your emissions, become more sustainable and save money too.
Sustainable procurement is all about ensuring that the supplies you need are as environmentally friendly as possible. First of all, say no to excess packaging. Is there anything else you can refuse or reduce? Then think what you can reuse and repair. Ask your suppliers for their corporate social responsibility policy. All these actions can save you money as well as contributing to lowering carbon emissions, giving the things you do need to use a longer life, and ensuring your suppliers are sustainable too. Patients are often keen to know about their sustainable choices. Make sure you have eco-options in your frame range and have trained staff to explain what is available.
Carry out a waste audit to see what are the main groups of things you are throwing away. Ask yourself where the waste comes from. If it comes from suppliers, ask them to take it back and reuse it. Patients and the public are keen to see opticians collecting spectacles, recycling dummy lenses and contact lenses. If this is not something you do already, have you thought about collaborating across your local optical committee or with other practices in your town? This can make recycling more cost-effective and help get more people involved too.
- Dr Antonia Chitty is head of communications and sustainability lead at the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. If you would like to find out more about sustainability, you can explore the SEE Hub on ABDO’s website.