SightCare Sustainability Practice of the Year Winners

We spoke to SightCare’s Sustainability Practice of the Year winners, Woodhouse Opticians, about how winning an award at the 2023 SightCare Conference has impacted their team.

How did you/your team feel when your practice was announced as the Sustainability Practice of the Year winner?

Over the moon.  We were so hopeful but our competition was very strong, which is a win in itself because it means more practices are taking sustainability seriously.

What was the stand out feature that you believe set you apart from your competitors in this category?

I am not sure what the judges were looking for but the fact that our whole team had achieved a Level 2 qualification in Sustainability had to help.

Does this win make you want to be more ambitious about your sustainability and if so how?

It really does, we are just on a journey and the more we do the more sustainable we become and hopefully can help inform others.  I have set the goal to make one small change a month.

How do you believe opticians/practices can have a positive influence through social media with regards to sustainability?

We have used #SustainabilitySaturday.  All the evidence and the learning we have completed states it is not sufficient to work towards sustainability if you do not tell people about it so social media is essential

What future plans can be expected from you in terms of your practice’s sustainability?

We have Level 2 of Green Mark to complete and then Level 3 ultimately we wish to achieve carbon neutral but realistically that is some way off. We have sourced a cardboard recycling company and we hope to achieve a little each month.

How have you been been able share your award success with your patients, community and staff?

I assure you it has been published far and wide, it is especially good to know that it is the first award of its kind at SightCare, that makes us really feel like winners because of the future good it will do. We have told all our patients we have shouted about it on social media and we have celebrated with drinks with the staff.