B&M Capital (Nuvo Dental)

Organisation Bio

Nuvo Dental is a group of dental practices supporting the local community with their oral health

About our climate journey

Nuvo Dental began its sustainability journey by recognising that even clinical environments can play a meaningful role in reducing environmental impact. Our first steps were practical and achievable reducing unnecessary single-use plastics at reception and non-clinical areas, switching to recyclable paper products where HTM 01-05 allows, and moving most patient communications from post to digital to cut paper and transport emissions.

We have also transitioned to energy-efficient LED lighting across all new refurbishments, introduced smart heating controls to minimise energy waste, and implemented digital dentistry technologies to replace traditional analogue materials which require more transport, storage, and physical impressions. Our sites now routinely use intraoral scanners which cut down on acrylic and silicone waste, while also reducing courier journeys to laboratories.

Challenges have included balancing infection control regulations with sustainability goals, particularly around disposable PPE and waste segregation but we continue to work with suppliers to source lower-impact alternatives without compromising safety or compliance.

Wider benefits have already become clear. Digital dentistry has not only reduced material waste but also improved patient comfort, lowered chair time, and reduced re-makes. Moving patient correspondence to digital-first systems has cut costs, reduced missed appointments, and improved communication efficiency.

Our next steps include formalising our sustainability policy group-wide, monitoring baseline carbon emissions across our practices, transitioning our company vehicle use to hybrid or electric, and exploring local partnerships in Plymouth and Warwick for community sustainability programmes.

Our climate journey

COMMITTED TO NET ZERO?
CARBON FOOTPRINT CALCULATED?
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WRITTEN?
MONITORING IMPACT YEARLY?
PLAN TO BE NET ZERO BY...?

2040


See our Climate Action plan

View

Biggest climate achievement to date

One of our proudest climate achievements so far has been reducing unnecessary journeys and material waste through digital dentistry and electronic communication. By moving away from physical impressions towards digital scanning we have removed large amounts of plastic trays and silicone materials from our workflow and reduced the number of courier trips between practices and laboratories. At the same time we have switched almost all patient correspondence from post to email or text which has cut down on paper use and postal travel.

We have also launched a cycle to work option for staff and our first employee has already signed up.

Most difficult climate challenge faced

Our biggest challenge has been balancing strict clinical regulations with sustainability ambitions. Dentistry, by its nature, involves items that are used once only, controlled materials and infection prevention standards that restrict the replacement of disposable items with reusable alternatives. Even where more sustainable products exist, they are often significantly more expensive or not yet fully compliant with HTM 01 05 guidance which places safety above all else and that is correct.

Another challenge has been measuring impact in a meaningful way. It is easy to make positive changes such as going paperless or switching to LED lighting but turning that into accurate data that shows carbon savings within a small clinical setting has not been straightforward. We know that change is happening but presenting that in a clear and measurable format is still a work in progress.

Finally, encouraging consistent behaviour change across a busy healthcare team has required ongoing reinforcement. Most people agree with sustainability in principle but embedding it into routine habits while maintaining efficient patient flow takes repetition and leadership.

Best climate advice or tip for others

Start with the changes that are within reach rather than the ones that feel ideal. It is easy to overthink sustainability and delay action while waiting for a perfect plan. Choose one or two improvements such as reducing transport waste or switching to electronic communication and build from there.

Also present sustainability as efficiency rather than sacrifice. In our case moving to digital systems was seen first as a clinical improvement and the environmental benefits followed naturally. When people see that climate positive actions can also save time or improve patient experience they support them more readily.

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