Ethical Sourcing & Supply Policy

Our ethos when purchasing and supplying products is to optimise the well-being of our clients’ pets whilst striving to leave as soft a footprint as possible on the wider environment and to make a positive impact on people and communities. 

Welfare is at the heart of everything we do: for our clients and their pets; our own pets and ourselves; and also when considering the impact we have on the wider community and the planet. Products for animals can be a particularly challenging minefield in terms of the nature and quality of ingredients, where and how they are sourced and how they are packaged and delivered. The industry is still a long way from offering everything we would love to see, but we strongly believe there are there are steps that can have a positive impact.

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We therefore pledge that wherever possible we will:

​For food, treats, supplements and grooming/cleaning products

  • choose only products with clearly listed ingredients which are specific about their source (e.g. no ‘meat and animal derivatives’)​

  • source locally (British made and owned) and as a second choice from the EU where this is not possible. If we occasionally need to access products from further afield (if they have particular functions or benefits we cannot find more locally), we will review this regularly and keep looking for more local options, research the companies we purchase from and never knowingly include any food products with Chinese origins due to quality and animal welfare concerns in the supply chain in that region.

  • offer free-range, organic, pasture-raised meat choices where we can, but recognise that these are currently quite limited and can be prohibitively expensive so have other options available as well, in line with our ingredients and sourcing statements.

  • look for ranges with recycled and/or recyclable packaging and encourage our suppliers to minimise use of unnecessary plastic.​

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​For toys and equipment

  • source locally (British made and owned) and as a second choice from the EU where this is not possible. If we occasionally need to access products from further afield (if they have particular functions or benefits we cannot find more locally), we will review this regularly and keep looking for more local options.

  • offer products which are designed to last and be used again and again to help reduce waste

  • look for ranges whose content and packaging has recycled and/or recyclable content from sustainable resources and encourage our suppliers to minimise use of unnecessary plastic.

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Overall

  • give priority to suppliers who share our ethos of high quality products whilst minimising the environmental and community impact.​

  • supply only products we are happy to use with our own pets and which we believe promote and enhance health and well-being, both physical and emotional

  • support our clients to choose products which are suitable for their pet, to reduce waste and improve well-being

  • minimise, re-use and recycle as much packaging as we can and where we do need to purchase packaging, to choose options which are as environmentally friendly as possible, in particular minimising the use of plastic. ​

  • recognise that the pet products industry is continuously changing and to review our suppliers and their products regularly  as part of delivering this pledge. We always welcome feedback and suggestions from clients and suppliers about products we already offer and ideas for new ones.

  • find additional ways to support our partner charities through the sale of products, for example donating a percentage of our profits and enabling charities to buy what they need for pets in their care at significantly discounted prices.

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