Sustainability Report 2022
Download PDF 
We are a veterinary pharmaceutical company; our priority is the health and welfare of animals and everything we do is with this priority in mind.
Our key focus areas are:
4.8% of sales invested in R&D
130k of CPD hours provided globally
Increase investment in pipeline development and continue to support the veterinary profession through access to CDP content.
Case Study
The US Veterinary Services Department began to manage the US University and Student Ambassador Program in the Summer of 2020. After a year of revamping the programme, we are proud of the advances and recognition that have been gained at 29 of the 34 accredited veterinary medicine institutions in the United States. This school year, Dechra had 39 student ambassadors in total, comprised of 29 companion animal and ten equine students. Together, our Veterinary Services Team hosted 36 in-person or virtual events for veterinary schools, with 1,700 students participating.
This year we also launched a mentoring programme for our student ambassadors. This programme allowed the students the opportunity to interact with various veterinary services colleagues about topics such as contract negotiation, interviewing skills, how to have tough discussions on euthanasia, and several more.
The culmination of our year included the launch of our Dechra Clinical Proficiency Awards for fourth year veterinary students. Selected students were awarded with a certificate and $500. At 18 CVMs across the United States the following awards were given:
The US Veterinary Services Department is excited about the plans for the 2022 to 2023 school year. We have expanded to over 40 student ambassadors, including 14 equine students and four veterinary technician schools. Other upcoming plans include a national webinar on nutraceuticals and supplements given by a boarded veterinary nutritionist. We also plan to continue supporting each of the CVMs with a return to on campus visits at each of the universities. Our Veterinary Professional Services colleagues have also discussed Dechra’s newest product additions, including Zenalpha®, Laverdia™- CA1, Sucromate® Equine, and ProvetAPC™, with key companion animal and equine faculty and staff.
We recognise the importance of good environmental practices across our operations.
Our key focus areas are:
42% of all waste recycled or reused
10% reduction in carbon intensity ratio
Submitting and validating our Science Based Targets in 2023 will represent a crucial next step in our Net Zero journey.
Our people are our greatest asset. Our objective is to continue to be a purpose focused business driven by high performing and committed teams.
Our key focus areas are:
37k training and development hours
Remain a Living Wage employer globally
We intend to remain responsive to changing trends within the workplace so that our employees globally remain engaged and high performing.
Case Study
In November 2021 we launched the Dechra Climate Race, #ActNow, to help raise awareness and understanding amongst Dechra employees of the small steps and simple changes required to reduce our impact on the environment. To assist with embedding climate change awareness we engaged a third party, who provided a gamified learning via a mobile App.
Everyone can play a part in reducing our carbon footprint, which is one of the key priorities of Dechra’s “Making a Difference” sustainability ambition. During the four weeks of the challenge, Dechra employees globally were divided into 104 teams and via an app were quizzed on sustainability topics. In December 2021, the Dechra Climate Race reached the finish line. The enthusiasm and dedication during the challenge was fantastic. The Dechra Climate Race contributed a total CO2e savings of 368 tonnes, 263,503 completed deeds and 85,325 questions were answered.
In October 2022, the Dechra #ActNow-Sprint Relay will be launched. A Sprint with content for one week will loop around global Dechra with the important message:
It’s a call to #ActNow – working together to Make a Difference.
We believe that it is important to give back to the communities in which we live and operate.
Our key focus areas are
£314,163 cash donations
£31,965 product donations
Maintain our strong localised presence in global communities, whilst co-ordinating activities effectively.
Case Study
The Brazil team held their first Dechra Volunteering Day where they carried out nine simultaneous activities in the Londrina region, which included:
Case Study
This was the first year we have operated a decentralised global process, after a successful trial in 2021 in the USA.
A total budget of £300,000 was allocated to each country based on the number of employees employed at 30 June 2021. In total, 17 Regional Giving Committee were established consisting of volunteer employees who have agreed to be members of their respective committee for two years. Regional Giving Committees allow employees to make decisions on which local charities are most meaningful to them that they would like to support. Each committee received nominations from employees within their respective countries and discussed the merits of each before making a decision as to how to allocate their funds. The charities chosen were either animal, environmental or human service charities and included:
Animal: Shropshire Cats, Gamelles pleines, Belgian Centre for Guide Dogs, Equine Well Being Rescue, SOS Visa Animal, Equiwent,
Environmental: Race for Oceans Foundation Human Service: SELFA, Macmillian Cancer, Not One More Vet, Hope for Children, SOS Children’s Village