OUR NET ZERO JOURNEY Our Net Zero journey Anglesey Sea Zoo

Anglesey Sea Zoo Marine Conservation Centre is an exclusively British aquarium, with seawater pumped directly from the Menai Strait. The Sea Zoo specialises in captive breeding programmes for endangered British species, including seahorses and spiny lobsters, with the eventual goal of reintroducing these into the wild, and it leads in education, conservation, research and environmental projects.

Frankie Hobro, the sole Owner and Director of the business, has experience working on endangered species, habitat restoration and conservation projects in challenging conditions abroad and is a passionate advocate for conservation and sustainability. When Frankie bought the Sea Zoo in 2007 with a large bank loan, it lacked investment and direction and ‘sustainability’ and ‘eco’ were ‘buzzwords’ not conducive with high profit margins or business success. It is now an exemplar of sustainable business, proving that environmental priorities, corporate responsibility and community engagement can go hand in hand with success.

The conversion to entirely native species instantly reduced the running costs associated with heating and recirculating water and made the business extremely ethical, providing the exhibits with natural seasonal temperatures and conditions. Happy, healthy animals demonstrated natural behaviours and thrived, resulting in successful breeding programmes and providing opportunities for vital Research and Development data collection and the exclusive ability to practice stock rotation and re-release.

At a time when large tropical aquarium franchises dominated the attraction sector, a native aquarium could have been perceived as ‘boring and British’. Instead, this created a unique selling point, eliminating corporate competition and presenting filming and media opportunities unavailable elsewhere, which became profitable and beneficial in profile raising and enabling specialisation in bespoke guided tours, packages and offerings across a variety of sectors.

True business sustainability requires acumen in beneficial planning and forward-thinking over a long period, prioritising long-term benefits over shortterm gain. And within less than a decade this started to pay off.

Being sustainable is about making any positive changes you can as soon as you can, however small they may be. Many gradual changes add up to huge positive benefits. The Sea Zoo has constantly implemented small changes, being conscious of the longer-term environmental impacts of every decision and every investment, from process management, such as waste disposal and energy use, to carefully planning equipment renewal and implementing constant monitoring which allows appropriate reaction to any positive or negative changes. This has enabled constant adaptation to improve sustainability measures, resulting in a much more efficient business model and a significant overall reduction in carbon footprint alongside better business performance.

For example, gradually replacing all lighting with more efficient LEDs and upgrading to more costly but much more energy-efficient models during the servicing and replacement of pumps and systems. This sacrifice of short-term profits has significantly reduced the carbon footprint and proved to be an extremely profitable long-term investment.

In 2016 the business fitted a 50kw PV system and became the first solarpowered aquarium, reducing energy consumption by almost 40%. 2 electric car charging stations were fitted giving the business a competitive edge for customers driving electric vehicles. This was funded through a bank loan of £70,000 which placed a significant extra burden at the time, but secured the survival of the business when the recent energy crisis hit.

In 2008 plastic bags were replaced with branded reusable recycled paper bags, 2 years before the 5p bag charge was introduced by the Welsh Government. Over 95% of waste on site has been recycled or composted for over a decade, already meeting the requirements for the new business recycling laws introduced by the Welsh government in April 2024.

In 2018 the Sea Zoo stopped using singleuse plastics and a refill scheme was introduced with funky branded reusable products including sporks, stainless steel straws, water bottles and cups. Soft drink refill deals boosted sales and free water refill stations were fitted outside for use by customers and members of the public who passed on the Anglesey Coastal Path. When the UK Government’s singleuse plastics ban was introduced in 2023, these costs had already been recouped through reduced disposal and buying-in costs, a boost in sales and positive UKwide PR and brand awareness from the products.

The numerous not-for-profit activities carried out by the business raise its profile and pay off as invaluable media coverage and PR. These include community beach cleans carried out for over 17 years, the voluntary rescue of marine animals, seagrass research and restoration and most recently recognition as experts in the rescue and rehabilitation of cold-stranded tropical turtles, so the Sea Zoo is now building the UK’s first bespoke turtle rescue facility.

Sea Zoo customers love knowing that they are contributing to long-term positive environmental change, and the business is proud to promote a sense of ownership and responsibility towards the environment among its visitors and community.