HERTFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM — Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) recently partnered with waste management company Waste Mission to achieve 100% food waste diversion. The partnership marks a critical step in IPN’s vision to become the “nation’s most sustainable, most loved home of pet nutrition brands.”

Known for its Wagg, Harringtons, Barking Heads and Meowing Heads pet brands, IPN has long been committed to sustainability. In 2020, it became the first major UK pet food manufacturing business to go carbon-negative, according to IPN. Now the company is tackling its food waste.

Founded in 1985 as metal recycling company Alchemy Metals, Waste Mission partners with a variety of businesses to develop tailored waste reduction solutions, advancing sustainability. The company not only helps divert waste from landfills, but also offers solutions to minimize overall environmental impact, conserve natural resources and more.

IPN sought out Waste Mission’s help with several waste management issues including hard-to-handle meat and fish packaging, inefficient raw meat waste disposal methods, and disruptions in waste accumulation. 

“These challenges are not unique to IPN, but we wanted to show leadership in how we addressed them,” said James Lawson, director of IPN. “Sustainability and waste reduction are crucial for our people, pets and planet approach to ESG (environmental, safety and governance). Partnering with Waste Mission reflects our dedication to creating happiness for our pets, their owners and the supply chain.”

To assist IPN in tackling these challenges, Waste Missions introduced:

• Specialized processes for the company to recycle meat and fish juice on packaging, allowing the packaging to be diverted from landfills
• Methods to ensure 100% recycling of raw meat waste
• Established at 24-hour Service Level Agreement (SLA) to ensure efficient waste collection and management, prevent disruptions and more at IPN

According to the companies, these practices have enabled IPN to divert all of its waste, including those complex materials, from landfills, and ensure all waste is recycled in alignment with sustainability goals without any disruptions to IPN’s operations. 

“We urge other pet food manufacturers to join us in prioritizing sustainability and waste reduction,” Lawson said. “High-quality pet food can be produced while adopting eco-friendly practices and meeting the growing needs of conscious consumers.”

Read more news from pet food manufacturers.