BOULDER, COLO. — The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) is hoping to rally the pet and pet nutrition industries for this year’s celebration of Earth Day. PSC’s 2023 Earth Day Rally will begin April 1 and will seek to inspire more than 10,000 environmental actions to help further sustainability and corporate responsibility.

This year’s Earth Day Rally will build upon PSC’s successful 2022 Earth Day Rally, which had more than 600 participants who completed a total of 12,034 environmental-focused actions. The rally will run the entire month of April.

“The second annual PSC Earth Day Rally is an exciting opportunity for the pet industry to build on last year’s extraordinary results and use its collective energy as a force for good,” said Stephanie Volo, chief impact officer at Earth Animal, sponsor of this year’s Earth Day Rally. “As the participating company’s employees engage in the challenge, they will become more aware of the many ways, big and small, that people can take meaningful action to combat climate change.”

PSC’s Earth Day Rally boasts multi-stakeholder engagement, receiving support and partnership from the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), IndiePet, American Pet Products Association (APPA), World Pet Association (WPA), Pet Food Institute (PFI) and the National Animal Veterinary Council (NAVC).

“APPA is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work alongside the PSC and other industry peers to elevate and enhance the pet care community’s commitment to sustainable and eco-friendly practices,” said Peter Scott, president and chief executive officer of the APPA. “At APPA, we feel it is our responsibility to be globally minded. It is serendipitous that this program is returning at a time when APPA and PIDA launched multiple sustainability measures during Global Pet Expo 2023 — from reducing waste to composting and more — that we will aim to grow each subsequent year. We look forward to seeing all that we will achieve together through these initiatives and during this year’s Earth Day Rally.”

To further PSC’s 2023 Earth Day Rally, the APPA and NAVC are providing the movement with additional support. The associations will donate $1 for every completed environmental action through a Matching Gift campaign. The funds will then be gifted to PSC’s 10th Anniversary Fund, enabling PSC to enhance its efforts.

“Programs like the Earth Day Rally move everyone a step further on their journey toward a sustainable business model and lifestyle while also breaking down competition and tapping into our networks to inspire our largest group ever to take action,” said Caitlyn Dudas, co-founder and executive director of the PSC.

Every professional in the pet industry can participate in the rally by becoming an “Earth Day Activator.” Professionals can join on their own or with a team. Participants will select a list of earth-friendly actions they can complete between April 1 to May 1, with each completed action gaining them points and moving them up on a leaderboard. Actions range from donating to a wildlife conservation organization to “greening” your commute to planting a flower bed to support local pollinators and more.  

Based on the leaderboard and points earned, PSC will recognize the top five teams and industry professionals, as it did last year.

Read more about sustainability efforts in the pet food and treat industry.