Our Purpose
is the sustainable improvement of global animal health and welfare.
The Board takes ultimate responsibility for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and is committed to developing and implementing appropriate policies that create and maintain long term value for shareholders. During the year, our newly formed CSR committee, made up of representatives from across the Group, reviewed the Group's CSR strategy along with the various frameworks for reporting, and published sustainability reports on Dechra, the latter identified reporting gaps where we could have provided more information on our activities.
With this in mind and sustainability at the heart of our Purpose, we have chosen to link our CSR strategy to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we felt that this would provide a framework for our activities and subsequent communication thereof. We have retained the four pillars (Community, Business, Environment and People) of our CSR strategy, and we compared our objectives for these pillars with the SDGs. We identified that our activities would impact ten of the 17 SDGs of which three would be material. The three SDGs in which we can have the most material impact are Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Responsible Consumption and Production.
We are in the process of gathering data so that we can set targets for our objectives and hope to report on these targets next year.
Most material UN SDGs
UN Goal: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Dechra's Impact: Providing educational programmes and solutions to improve animal health and welfare
Relationships with veterinarians are core to the business and we:
- enhance the health of animals by providing vital education for animal health professionals;
- provide added value services in the form of educational programmes focused on key therapeutic areas; and
- work with academia to support the development of new drugs as well as educational programmes.
UN Goal: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Dechra's Impact: Enhancing the skills of our workforce, planning for a successful future and improving the working lives of our people
Committed to enhancing the skills of our workforce by:
- aligning employee efforts and driving productivity through effective goal setting, feedback and focus on development;
- offering internships, apprenticeships and placements Group-wide;
- providing training opportunities to young people and/or disadvantaged people;
- routinely investing in safety of employees; and
- providing a healthy workplace to improve the working lives of our people.
UN Goal: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Dechra's Impact: Minimising the impact of our operations on the environment
Adopting responsible environmental practices and giving consideration to minimising the impact of operations on the environment by:
- reducing packaging materials and pallets;
- using sustainable raw materials in nutrition range;
- optimising energy use through various means; and
- investing in eco-friendly and cost-effective distribution systems.
Our People
Stakeholders Involved
Linkage to UN SDGs
Key Focus Areas
- Culture and Values
- Talent Management and Engagement
- Fair Employment Practices
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Safe Working Practices
Policy
- A great and safe place to work.
Objectives
- strengthen and communicate the Dechra culture and strive to ensure our Values encompass our business ethics and standards
- attract, retain and develop talent to build and maintain a top quality team;
- comply with national legal requirements regarding wages and working hours
- value the difference and diversity of people, recognise that their skills and abilities are strengths that can help us to achieve our best; and
- reinforce a culture of safe working practices
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Our Environment
Stakeholders Involved
Linkage to UN SDGs
Key Focus Areas
- Waste
- Energy
- Sustainable raw materials
Policy
- We are committed to minimising the impact of our operations on the environment by adopting responsible environmental practices and complying with applicable environmental legislations.
Objectives
- prudent use of all natural resources, the minimisation of waste in all activities, and the appropriate disposal of waste;
- optimise the energy we use, improve energy effectiveness through initiatives on transport and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions; and
- use sustainable raw materials in our nutrition range wherever practicable.
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Our Business
Stakeholders Involved
- Employees
- Veterinary Professionals
- Suppliers and Distributors
- Universities and Key Opinion Leaders
Linkage to UN SDGs
Key Focus Areas
- Life of our Products
- Veterinary Professionals
- Ethics
Policy
- To provide innovative products and, technical and educational support to veterinarians.
- We are committed to acting responsibly and with integrity.
Objectives
- develop and promote products to improve animal welfare;
- maintain and improve the knowledge and skills of veterinarians who prescribe and use our products; and
- act with honesty and with integrity.
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Our Community
Stakeholders Involved
- Local Community
- Charities and non-profit organisations
Linkage to UN SDGs
Key Focus Areas
- Community Activities
- Community Donations
- Community Employment
Policy
- To contribute to the social and economic welfare of the local communities in which we operate.
Objectives
- contribute towards charitable causes through the donation of time, products and skills.
Read more about Our Community