Driven to Care in Costa Rica

At Zoetis, we’re all committed to championing a healthier, more sustainable future by making a positive impact in our communities, protecting our planet and innovating in animal health. In Costa Rica, our colleagues are bringing their sustainability commitments to life in creative ways. The team has formed a social responsibility committee comprised of four colleagues from different Zoetis Financial Shared Services teams who are serving their local community, bolstering their recycling efforts and promoting animal wellbeing. Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team persevered in pursuing their sustainability goals this quarter and adapted their activities to the new normal.

Giving Campaign: School Supplies

In February, the social responsibility committee organized a donation campaign to collect essential school supplies to 90 children from Presbítero Ricardo Salas Campos School, a public school located in Heredia, Costa Rica. ¨We chose this school because one of our colleagues’ lives nearby and was aware that some of the parents have struggled to get school supplies for their children as a result of unemployment from the pandemic,” said Ana Bonilla, Senior Associate, Risk & Compliance and Social Responsibility Committee Lead. “This is not the first time we’ve made donations to a school; we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with our communities through our social responsibility committee, facilitated by Zoetis.”

Recycling campaign: Living Sustainably at Home

Implementing sustainable practices such as recycling and composting can be confusing. Last year the team also organized an educational recycling campaign full of tips on the correct ways to reduce and reuse. To build on this work, this year the team brought in a professional to teach colleagues about composting at home over a video conference. The team also learned how to plant their own vegetable garden.  

Animal well-being: Ensuring Proper Nutrition for Pets

When it comes to animal health, prevention is always better than cure. Our colleagues’ pets are no exception. The team partnered with Purina to get nutritional recommendations for their pets. Dr. Gianna Fernandez, a veterinarian with the company, presented dietary tips to keep pets healthy. Below, our colleagues Juan José Castro and Viviana Durán’s pets, Kronos, Lulu and Cleo, who were lucky to be selected to win treats through a raffle.

What´s Next…

Milena Ramirez, HR Business Partner, Costa Rica, said, “This is only the beginning of our journey to become a more sustainable Zoetis, our job does not stop here, we will continue identifying opportunities and we will be delighted to share our projects each quarter. In 2021, we expect to intensify our efforts to support our community and colleagues and do our job to incorporate safety measures and programs to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ana Bonilla added, “We appreciate the opportunity to have this committee in the company, we can help local communities, carry out helpful environmental initiatives from our houses, and of course, the well-being activities for our animals, in line with our business. We’re excited about the next activities we have planned which will focus on animal shelters - fingers crossed the pandemic will let us complete the planned activities!”