By Anthony Chadwick

According to The Circularity Gap Report, in 2018, only 9.1% of the global economy could be considered circular. That's a pretty poor figure. The bad news is that the number has gone down! In 2020, it was 8.6% and in 2023 only 7.2%.

How do we design a circular society and veterinary industry where products, services and systems are created sustainably by removing waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible and regenerating natural systems?

Our linear system of produce, use, throw away is wasteful and no longer valid with a growing population and finite resources. We have to change! This is where the idea of circularity comes in- a holistic system to get the world back on its feet again.

It's year 3 of The Webinar Vet's campaign to facilitate the profession to regenerate into a more hopeful and environmentally friendly place, looking particularly through a UN Sustainable Development Goals' lens. We are holding our Veterinary Green Discussion Forum annually until 2030 with the aim of encouraging the profession to reduce carbon emissions by 50%; making sure that 30% of our land is of high biodiversity value and we have doubled the profession's circularity index to 14.4%. This year we will be discussing the veterinary circular economy.

The first two forums were held at Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston and were very successful in encouraging and inspiring the delegates to go back to their organisations and be the difference as well as creating great networks of like-minded people working together for the good of the planet. This year, we are moving down to London to The WWT's Wetland Centre in Barnes on 18-19 June.

If you wish to attend, click HERE and fill in the survey telling us why you should attend and what experience you would bring.

There are 10 reduced-place scholarships that vets and nurses in practice can apply for. If you are a member of an association or company, feel free to send this through to your head of sustainability. If you don't know who this is, your company is probably not taking the issue seriously enough!

As well as all of those benefits, as a not-for-profit, carbon neutral event, we lived lightly on the planet and have been able to help Lancashire Wildlife Trust to regenerate 30ha of exhausted livery pasture in the Bolton area. The forum uses the Methodology of See, Discern, Act first designed by Cardinal Cardijn, the founder of the Young Christian Workers. We are not a talk shop!

It's an intimate event where there is no audience and everyone is a participant in the rich listening and discussion. Everyone has value. We also spend time out in nature to ground us and show us why this issue is so important- we have much to lose.

On the first day as well as time out in the beautiful WWT reserve, we will spend time playing a game to see what the world would be like if members of the veterinary industry were running it. I'm expecting rich discussion during and after this over coffee, lunch and whilst we are helping with conservation work on the reserve. The day finishes with a delicious, sustainably-produced food looking over the delightful lake.

The second day will include talks from industry leaders in sustainability like Ceva, Idexx and Vimian, as well as our green vet of the year, Laura Binnie, representing XLvets along with long periods for discussion in small groups. It's an intimate gathering of 50-70 people determined to improve the planet for the benefit of people and animals. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!