A RUNCORN animal hospital has earned a prestigious environmental award for its eco-friendly and sustainable practices.

Linnaeus-owned Northwest Veterinary Specialists (NWVS) has been named as a silver level practice, just over a year after it achieved its bronze level, by Investors in the Environment (IIE).

NWVS is one of the UK’s leading specialist-led animal hospitals which offers care in anaesthesia and analgesia, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery. 

Lauren Bate, a veterinary physiotherapist at NWVS, and green team member said: “It has been a real team effort to improve from our bronze to silver level status in just over 12 months.”

The nationwide initiative encourages firms to implement more environmentally friendly, cleaner and more sustainable methods and systems.

Sustainability has been recognised as a key value of NWVS’s practices through the development of its environmental management systems and addressing of new areas of its operations, in particular, procurement, travel and transport.

Its buying of goods and services takes sustainability into primary consideration and NSWV has made several switches to reusable or low-waste products.

Staff incentives have been introduced to encourage sustainable commuting options to work, including an electric vehicle leasing scheme and a cycle to work scheme.

“Reaching this next level has given the team a real boost, but we will not rest on our laurels and will now focus our efforts on achieving the iiE green award – the highest-level award it offers,” Lauren added.