SAN
DIEGO, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Health
and Wellness Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF) today released its 2023
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, detailing
progress on its mission to improve the lives of pets, pet parents
and its own Petco partners (employees).
"Our commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of
pets, people, and the planet we all share is pivotal to our mission
as a purpose-driven pet retailer," said Chief ESG &
Communications Officer, Benjamin
Thiele-Long. "By making meaningful progress on ESG pillars
that matter to our stakeholders, we continue to fuel the great
enthusiasm our Petco partners bring to work, differentiate our
business, and grow the deep connection we have with the customers
and communities we serve."
Setting the standard in responsible pet care
With Petco Love — a life-changing independent nonprofit
organization — Petco helped find homes for 142,924 pets in fiscal
year 2023. The nonprofit's Vaccinated and Loved initiative reached
the milestone of distributing 2.2 million free vaccines to pets in
under-resourced communities and, to support animals across the
country, Petco Love donated $33.5
million in grants to 2,000 local shelters and animal welfare
organizations.
Increasing access to high-quality, affordable veterinary care,
Petco expanded their network of in-store veterinary hospitals to
more than 280 locations that provide a broad range of pet care
solutions, including surgeries, illness care, labs and diagnostics
and more. In addition, mobile Vetco Vaccination Clinics delivered
compassionate, high-quality care at an average of 1,400 weekly
clinics by the end of 2023.
For the third year in a row, American Humane — the world's
largest certifier of animal welfare — verified that pets in Petco
pet care centers enjoy excellent attention at every step of their
journey to their new families. The American Humane Certified™ Seal
of Approval was awarded following rigorous audits of Petco
locations and vendor facilities, where the independent organization
assessed the welfare and overall condition of all small mammals,
birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and aquatic life.
Petco customers can now easily identify grooming services and
products without parabens, phthalates and chemical dyes thanks to a
new clean* grooming label. With this initiative, Petco became the
first national omnichannel pet retailer to offer designated
grooming solutions that help pet parents make informed decisions
about their pets' routine care and overall health.
And, earlier this year, eligible products within Petco's Well
& Good brand portfolio earned the Coalition for Consumer
Information on Cosmetics' (CCIC) Certificate of Approval, as part
of CCIC's trusted Leaping Bunny program. This new accreditation
recognizes Petco's private brand for adopting CCIC's corporate
standard of compassion for animals and adds to the health and
wellness company's growing roster of independent ESG
certifications.
Helping people thrive
Petco ranked in the top 8% of North American retailers in the
S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, up four
percentile points from the previous year. They also scored 95/100
in Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, the national
benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits
pertinent to LGBTQ+ employees.
Across the country, Petco's seven partner resource groups
provided an invaluable network of resources for all team members
and deepened the organization's relationship with local
communities. From supporting high-performing schools that increase
access to higher education in under-served communities, to
sponsoring more Komen Foundation charity walks and Pride festivals
than ever before, Petco continues fostering an inclusive culture
rooted in their company values and support for Petco partners and
customers.
In 2023, Petco also delivered a "Leadership Essentials" program
to 400 newly hired or promoted people leaders and further nurtured
talent through peer-to-peer workshops, a "Next Gen" leadership
program and external coaching, highlighting its commitment to
continuous learning and development.
Preserving the health of our planet
Petco piloted a new recycling program to divert plastic that is
not recyclable at curbside from landfills. The company leveraged
existing back-haul shipments to transport low density polyethylene
(LDPE) — a flexible thermoplastic polymer commonly used in plastic
bags, cling wrap and other product-wrapping materials — from Petco
locations to distribution centers and deliver it to a specialized
plastic recycling partner to give it a new life as composite
decking material for commercial and residential use.
In just six months, Petco recycled more than four tons of LDPE
plastic, with zero incremental carbon footprint or labor. Today,
Petco is announcing the successful program has been rolled out as
standard operations for hundreds of Petco pet care centers
nationwide and is expected to divert nearly 150 tons of plastic
from landfills annually.
"Our LDPE plastic recycling program is a great example of the
sustainability mindset embedded in Petco's operations and the key
role our Petco partners play in improving our processes to help
preserve the wellbeing of our planet," said VP of Sustainability,
Francesca Mahoney. "We will continue
prioritizing these efforts so pets and pet parents can thrive in
healthy environments for generations to come."
Additionally, the company coordinated community clean up events,
and product reallocation and donation efforts that contributed to
approximately a 24% increase in total waste reduction, compared to
2022.
To access Petco's full ESG report and learn more about their
commitments and progress, visit esg.petco.com.
*Petco defines "Clean" as a product or service that is
without parabens, phthalates, and chemical dyes.
About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.:
Founded in 1965, Petco is a category-defining health and wellness
company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our
own Petco partners. We've consistently set new standards in pet
care while delivering comprehensive pet wellness products, services
and solutions, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet
parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 pet care centers across the
U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, which offer merchandise,
companion animals, grooming, training and a growing network of
on-site veterinary hospitals and mobile veterinary clinics. Our
complete pet health and wellness ecosystem is accessible through
our pet care centers and digitally at petco.com and on the Petco
app. In tandem with Petco Love, a life-changing independent
nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local
animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store
adoption events, we've helped find homes for more than 7 million
animals.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals,
strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions
and other statements that are other than statements of historical
fact. Although Petco believes that the expectations and assumptions
reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no
assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct.
Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and
uncertainties, including the risk factors we identify in our
Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and actual results may
differ materially from the results discussed in such
forward-looking statements. Petco undertakes no duty to update
publicly any forward-looking statement that it may make, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
may be required by applicable law, regulation, or other competent
legal authority.
Media Contact:
Ventura
Olvera
ventura.olvera@petco.com
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SOURCE Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.