Incorporating Sustainability With Pet Products at Home

In recent years, conversations around sustainability and how people can include conscious environmental practices in their daily lives can be seen through the branding and messaging of products and media. “Sustainability calls for transformation to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”¹ Individuals can be a contributor to maintaining the health of Earth by beginning in their home. It can be difficult to decide how to incorporate eco-friendly practices into a person’s lifestyle. A simple way to begin is to examine the products used and the waste created at home. Pet parents can narrow it down further and begin by examining their pet products. Manufacturing practices, types of packaging, product waste, ingredient sourcing, and animal welfare are a few ways in which the pet industry plays a role socially, economically, and environmentally in climate change. How can pet parents maintain a sustainable lifestyle with their pet products?

Seek out sustainable pet food brands:

Let’s begin with pet food brands that have sustainable initiatives and core values. As the consumer, pet parents set the tone for what pet brands offer. “Consumer activism in response to climate change and sustainability practices will push pet companies to assess their carbon footprints, taking a closer look at supply chains, production processes, ingredient strategies and marketplace behaviors.” ² These companies actively apply practices like sourcing ethically raised proteins and recyclable packaging for their products. They also work to ensure that your pets are receiving nutritious diets from responsibly sourced ingredients while also educating their customers on how they can be an ally to the earth.

Core values to look for when searching for a sustainable pet food brand:

• Donates to an environmental cause
• Ethically raised proteins – cage-free, grass-fed, or farm-raised
• Responsibly sourced ingredients
• Transparency of ingredients
• Choosing to utilize alternative proteins for products – insects, invasive species
• Reducing product waste in processing
• Locally sourced ingredients to aid in the reduction of pollution
• Uses recycled or recyclable materials for packaging
• Find a brand that is a member of a sustainability or eco-friendly non-profit
• Corporate practices that are eco-friendly such as remote working, or reducing plane travel

Invest in eco-friendly pet toys and products:

Purchasing eco-friendly products for a pet is a great way to incorporate sustainability. It can be difficult to find a toy that your pet is not going to destroy after playing with it for five minutes, so here are a few ideas of the types of products. Try to search for products that are made with recycled plastic, toys, eco-friendly materials, or responsible manufacturing practices.

• Find durable, safely & responsibly made toys for pets
• Use biodegradable pet waste bags
• Use environmentally friendly pet gear for active dogs
• Use eco-friend pet tags, collars, and leases
• Invest in an eco-friendly pet bed that uses recycled or recyclable materials
• Find a brand that reduces its carbon footprint by using carbon-neutral shipping or reduces production waste
• Find a brand that has an active sustainability challenge
• Find a brand that is a member of a sustainability or eco-friendly non-profit organization

Join an organization:

Join an organization that issues monthly, weekly, or daily challenges that can be incorporated into a household. BSM Partners participated in the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s Earth Day 30- Day Challenge as a company. Each participant completed a task that could be done on their own time and would have a small, positive impact on the environment. They were simple tasks such as going outside for a walk, recycling, planting a tree, or participating in a community clean-up event. It also allowed for individuals to have fun educating themselves on their impacts on the environment and how they can be more environmentally conscious on a daily basis.

Recycle or Upcycle

Recycling at home is a great way to add personal awareness of how much waste a household is creating. Try to find ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials that are consumed daily. Visit How to Recycle or TerraCycle to learn more on how to go green at home and utilize the recycle label on pet products, household products, or any products that can be recycled.

References:

1. Kelly S. Swanson, Rebecca A. Carter, Tracy P. Yount, Jan Aretz, Preston R. Buff, Nutritional Sustainability of Pet Foods,Advances in Nutrition, Volume 4, Issue 2, March 2013, Pages 141–150, https://doi.org/10.3945/an.112.003335
2. Robert Wheatley, Pet Age August 2021, Sustainability Era: New Study Reveals Pet Food Impact on Climate

 

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About the Author

Whitney Russell formerly served as a Senior Analyst for BSM Partners, where she worked with customers to formulate a variety of canned, kibble, and freeze-dried diets for dogs and cats. She has previous laboratory expertise with various techniques to accurately prepare raw materials, wet-finished products, and dry-finished products for laboratory testing. Whitney is currently a Project Manager with Naterra International, Inc.