CHILLIWACK, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Canadian pet food manufacturer Petcurean shared highlights from its third-annual Sustainability Impact Report, which details the company’s environmental, social and charitable initiatives carried out from June 2022 to the end of 2023. As it enters the final annum of its four-year plan, the company is addressing sustainability on many fronts through its four brands — Go! Solutions, Now Fresh, Gather and Summit — as well as its operations, workforces and communities.

“Our third annual Sustainability Impact Report builds off the momentum that we’ve achieved in years past to reflect our commitment to making sustainability progress through measurable actions,” said Christine Mallier, sustainability and community relations manager at Petcurean. “Every area of our business is positively impacted by our efforts to advance sustainability — it is more than a vision, it is integral to who we are as a company. And, while we acknowledge that there is still much work to be done, we are also celebrating the incredible strides we have made over the last 12 months and are thrilled to share the results of these efforts.”

In alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the company is specifically focused on four key competencies — Good Health and Wellbeing, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.

On the emissions front, Petcurean reported a 40% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2023, effectively doubling its goal of reducing emissions by 20% over the year. According to the company, 89% of its Scope 3 emissions in 2023 came from ingredients, packaging and manufacturing, which will be a key area of focus for Petcurean’s way forward.

The company continues to look at ways to reduce its Scope 3 — or value chain — emissions through ingredient sourcing and transportation, packaging, manufacturing, personnel travel and office waste.

One of the key highlights from the report was progress toward zero-waste. The company reduced its waste-to-landfill by 83% year-over-year, and now only 9% of the company’s waste ends up in landfills. Petcurean has achieved this by composting and recycling through its Watch Your Waste campaign launched in January 2023.

Petcurean also sources 97% renewable energy through hydro-electricity.

Source: Petcurean

Additionally, the company introduced new Go! Solutions Sensitivities Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Insect Recipes for both dogs and cats in 2023. Formulated with black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), which requires 80% less land and water to produce than traditional pet food proteins, these diets are part of the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint.

Petcurean is focused on what’s in the bag, as well as the bag itself, as one of five initial signatories of the Pet Sustainability Coalition’s (PSC) Packaging Pledge. The pledge represents Petcurean’s commitment to transitioning to recyclable packaging by 2025. Its first step toward this commitment was taken in October 2023 when the company introduced its first batch of recyclable packages — specifically for its Go! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Lamb Recipe with Grains — to the market. Those bags were verified for recyclability by How2Recycle, according to the company, and will bear the How2Recycle logo with recycling instructions to help consumers contribute to the packages’ circularity.

The company is also invested in giving back to the communities in which it operates. In 2023, Petcurean donated more than 2.4 million meals to more than 760 pet shelters, rescues and food banks throughout North America. The company also played a part in planting 504 trees, and donated funds to bee conservation last year.

Additionally, 55% of the company’s employees participated in its Volunteering Policy in 2023, which dedicates 20 work hours for employees to spend volunteering in their communities.

These sustainability efforts are led in part by Mallier, who has been decorated as a leader in this space. She was named among Sustainability X’s 2023 Global 50 Women in Sustainability and has also been nominated for the 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Environmental Sustainability category. As a company, Petcurean also received the John & Kelly Ayres Philanthropy Award by Pets Canada (formerly known as PIJAC Canada) and was named to Pet Age’s 2023 Power 50 List.

“For 25 years, we’ve committed to putting pets first in everything we do, and as we continue on our sustainability journey to translate our ambition into action, we’re proud to have impacted real change,” Mallier added. “We are excited about upcoming opportunities and our goal remains clear — to create a more sustainable future for pets, people and our planet in the coming year.”

Access Petcurean’s full 2023 Sustainability Impact Report here.

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