How do I calculate the Carbon Footprint of my practice?

"For every complex problem, there's a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." H.L.Mencken

As we noted in the previous article, veterinary businesses are complex organisations. So that when calculating the carbon footprint of any practice there are a large number of factors that will need detailed consideration. You will not be able to calculate the carbon footprint of your veterinary business accurately on the back of an envelope. And if you are not going to calculate it accurately, you will be unable to measure and record meaningful improvements. As we get further engagement from veterinary business, the ability to benchmark nationally will be possible, utilising clinic data on type of clinic and number of employees to make meaningful comparisons. As Veterinary Carbon calculators have already been launched in the UK and Denmark, the opportunity to benchmark internationally will add further value and facilitate shared understanding and improvements in carbon impact.

The VetSalus/Vet Sustain Veterinary Carbon Calculator has been developed to deal with these complexities in a logical and organised manner. But the process of entering data initially will be a little time consuming and some of the required data will inevitably require some diligent searching and maybe a little estimation. The calculator sits in a cloud environment, so you will need a reliable internet connection to enter the data. Upon logging into the site a number of sections are displayed and you can expand these to enter the relevant information. But initially it is important to identify the premises/business involved and the year for which the calculation is being made. Some time collecting information such as power bills and fuel purchases will also streamline data entry considerably.

The main sections are:

Practice Details: This includes details of the type of practice and number of vets and other employees. This information is vital when we begin benchmarking, to ensure we can make meaningful comparisons between businesses.
Energy and water utilisation: Here you will record electricity consumed as well as details of other fuels which may include gas, fuel oil and wood products. Water consumption carries a carbon footprint and is entered in this section.
Transportation: This will be a major section for most practices, especially farm practices. The calculator allows for individual vehicle entry, with categories for size and type of vehicle or for fleet entry, where the total volume of fuel used is entered. The concept of a ‘grey fleet’ will be new to many; a grey fleet consists of vehicles not owned by the company but used by the company and will include vehicles owned by staff, being used for company business. This will be an important sector in some businesses. Air travel for work purposes is also included in this section. The calculator does not currently include the travel of clients to a veterinary practice which will be a significant factor, especially in many companion animal businesses. The inclusion of this Scope 3 data is currently being worked on.
Waste: Waste generation again can have a significant carbon footprint. The calculator allows for the recording of recycled material and waste for landfill. Unfortunately due to the unavailability of New Zealand specific factors it is not yet possible to calculate data for hazardous/clinical waste. Estimation of the weight generated will usually be achieved by weighing a typical sample.
Refrigeration and anaesthetic gases conclude the main sections of the calculator and these are potent greenhouse gases which will vary in volume considerably between business types.

This summary of headings will have provided some idea of the complexity involved in calculating an accurate carbon footprint. The devil is, as usual, in the detail so care must be taken with units included; e.g. are you entering Kilograms or Tonnes? The calculator provides prompts and additional information which minimise the chances of critical errors here. Inevitably some estimation will be required but if details of this are recorded a consistent approach can be achieved. Supporting documents accompany the calculator to support users through the process.

Once data entry is completed, the “complete calculation” button can be pressed and the final analysis is reported. By repeating this calculation periodically, usually annually, you will be able to measure progress in the reduction of your carbon footprint. As noted above, it will also be possible in future to benchmark your businesses results against similar practices, within both New Zealand and internationally. As additional factors become available we will continue to develop the calculator to ensure our reporting is as accurate as possible.

LMG Aug 2024

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