CVS Group: Cutting Waste Through Sustainable Procurement

Companies navigating the complexities of medical waste face considerable challenges in achieving sustainability goals.

The experience of CVS Group could show that progress is possible, as it has halved the amount of waste it sends to landfill according to its latest sustainability report. The results highlight progress toward its waste reduction targets, with improvements in recycling and resource efficiency across its large veterinary network.

Between July 2023 and June 2024, CVS Group reported a 53.5% reduction in waste sent to landfill, far exceeding its original 10% target. CVS Group also increased the proportion of non-medical waste recycled to 39%, surpassing the previous year’s figure of 34.9% and its internal goal of 38%.

These outcomes suggest targeted sustainability actions in procurement and operations can deliver a measurable impact within a large healthcare business.

Strategic waste management

The progress is attributed to a combination of behavioural change, and operational innovation, guided by The CVS Care Plan 2025, a sustainability framework covering environmental, social and governance goals.

A key part of this success has been CVS Group's network of Environment Champions who coordinate waste reduction and recycling initiatives across more than 500 locations in the UK and Australia.

Rosie Naylor, CVS Group Procurement Director and Sustainability Lead, explains: “Every veterinary practice has access to step-by-step waste disposal guidance, and many have Environment Champions steering the effort at ground level. This is leading to less waste going to landfill and more being recycled.”

Rosie's point demonstrates how empowering local teams can accelerate improvements in waste segregation staff engagement and vendor collaboration.

Procurement’s role in The CVS Care Plan

The CVS Care Plan 2025 provides the structure for CVS Group's sustainability activities. Waste management has been a specific area of focus, with procurement leading a series of targeted measures.

These include:

• Reducing unnecessary packaging from certain own-label medicines such as eliminating the outer layer from its Endectrid product range.
• Recycling traditionally hard-to-process materials by introducing “zero waste boxes” to capture items like soft plastics.
• Reusing equipment through the rollout of reusable sharps containers across UK practices which is estimated to prevent 21,000 single-use bins from being incinerated annually.

Looking ahead, CVS Group aims to reduce landfill waste by another 10% and increase non-medical waste recycling to 41%. The next phase of action will focus on supplier engagement and staff training to reduce waste at the source.

“We want to reflect the importance of our clients and our communities in our sustainability plan,” says Richard Fairman, CEO at CVS Group. “We need the support of both in order to deliver further success.”

Navigating healthcare waste complexities

Despite its achievements, CVS Group acknowledges that challenges remain.

The veterinary sector generates complex waste streams that require careful segregation and specialist handling. Ensuring consistent practices across hundreds of sites is demanding, particularly as regulations and recycling capabilities vary by region, which creates challenges for procurement and operations teams.

Another challenge is balancing clinical safety with environmental performance.

CVS Group continues to explore technologies and partnerships to reduce the environmental impact of such waste streams. Enhanced data tracking waste audits and cross-functional collaboration are also planned to sustain momentum.