Impact Leaders: Karl Walker-Finch, Lead Dentist, Smiles in Tandem

Karl Walker-Finch is the Lead Dentist and co-owner of Smiles in Tandem, an independent dental practice in Huddersfield making waves in the world of sustainable healthcare. From clinical waste reduction to solar panel planning, Karl is proof that SMEs even in the most regulated sectors can embed climate action and community impact at their core.

We spoke to Karl as part of our Impact Leaders series to understand how he’s building a low-carbon, people-first dental business - and what others can learn from his journey.

Toby: Karl, great to have you with us. Can you start by telling us how Smiles in Tandem came to life?

Karl: I’d been a general dentist for about ten years when a retiring colleague told me he was selling his dental practice. It was a small, mostly private practice with a strong community feel - exactly the kind of environment I wanted to build on.

From day one, we focused on three areas of impact: delivering outstanding care for patients, creating a place where our team could thrive, and reducing our environmental footprint. I wanted to show that you could run a high-quality dental practice that’s also good for the planet.

Toby: Most people don’t associate dentistry with sustainability. Why does it matter?

Karl: Because no industry is exempt from the impacts of climate change. In dentistry, people often assume we can’t change much because of safety protocols or cost. But we all have a role to play.

There are challenges, yes - some single-use items are non-negotiable for infection control -but there’s also a huge amount we can change. I’ve always cared about sustainability in my personal life, and I wanted to see what was possible in a healthcare setting too.

Toby: What steps did you take to build an dental practice that seriously considers its environmental impacts?

Karl: We focused on small, easy wins. Every week for three years, we made one change—just one. That might be switching to recycled paper, reducing the number of sterilisation pouches we use, or using reusable tools where safe.

One of the best things we did was to measure our carbon footprint with ZeroBees. That gave us a baseline and helped identify hotspots. After our first audit cycle, we’d reduced our emissions by over 35%. And now we’re tracking toward 50%.

Toby: What about the team? How did you bring them on the journey?

Karl: I thought that would be the hardest part - but actually, the team has been brilliant. We appointed a sustainability lead - our ‘eco ninja’ - who’s responsible for driving the work day-to-day. That peer-led approach has made a big difference.

Rather than burying everyone in policy documents, we just make it part of the culture. We talk about it at every team meeting, we celebrate progress, and we empower people to take ownership. It’s about keeping the energy alive without adding red tape.

Toby: Do patients care that you’re a sustainable practice?

Karl: No one chooses us just because we’re sustainable - but it definitely matters. Patients often say things like “I saw what you’re doing, and I love it.” It gives them confidence that we care - about them, the environment, and our wider impact.

It’s also great for trust. Being values-led makes you stand out in a crowded market. In Huddersfield alone, there are dozens of dental practices. Sustainability helps differentiate us in a meaningful way.

Toby: Let’s talk about challenges. What’s been most difficult in reducing your environmental impact?

Karl: The biggest ongoing challenge is clinical waste. Regulations mean that anything contaminated has to be incinerated - which isn’t a great environmental outcome. But even here, we’ve found ways to reduce volume. For example, opening sterilisation pouches in non-clinical areas so we can recycle the packaging. We’ve also changed our waste management supplier to someone who can vastly reduce our carbon footprint in the disposal of the clinical waste we do create.

There are limits, but there are always opportunities too. The key is not chasing perfection - just keep moving in the right direction.

Toby: You mentioned working with ZeroBees to measure your carbon footprint. How did that help?

Karl: Massively. The platform gave us a clear view of our emissions - about 100 tonnes of CO₂e per year at the start - and broke it down into areas we could actually influence. That helped us focus our efforts where they’d have the biggest impact.

And once we had those insights, we could track progress, share data with our team and patients, and build a clear business case for further action.

Toby: Speaking of business case - have these changes helped the bottom line?

Karl: Absolutely. Sustainability has saved us money across the board:

·         We reduced clinical waste by 33% in year one - huge savings.

·         Switching from plastic wipes to paper towel disinfectant systems also saved us money.

·         We used fewer sterilisation pouches, reduced general waste, and bought reusable equipment where safe.

All of this has helped strengthen our financial sustainability - because the reality is, a business can’t be sustainable in any sense if it’s not financially viable.

Toby: What about social impact - how do you engage your local community?

Karl: Most of our team live locally and are involved in community groups. We’ve worked with schools, won a local recycling award, and joined a green business network led by Fair and Funky in Huddersfield. My wife Marisa, who co-owns the business, speaks regularly at local sustainability events.

It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about showing up, being part of something bigger, and doing things that align with your values.

Toby: What’s next for Smiles in Tandem?

Karl: We’re moving into the next phase—scaling impact with bigger investments. We’re:

·         Converting the attic space for staff use, which will free up other areas of the building for patient services, allowing us to maximise our use of the building

·         Planning to install solar panels

·         Empowering our team to deliver more oral health education, which reduces treatment needs and emissions over time

And of course, we’ll be updating our ZeroBees footprint soon to track our progress. Last year we improved by 35%. This year we’re aiming for 40–50%.

Toby: What advice would you give to other dental practices or small businesses getting started?

Karl:

1.      Measure - ideally with a tool like ZeroBees, but even a more basic review will help

2.      Appoint a sustainability lead

3.      Start with one easy change per week

4.      Engage your team early and often

5.      Track both environmental and financial wins

Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Just start.

Toby: If you had to sum up your approach to sustainable dentistry in one sentence?

Karl: Take the path of least resistance. Start with the easy wins that don’t cost much, don’t compromise care, and get you moving in the right direction.

Toby: And finally—if you could change one thing about the dental industry, what would it be?

Karl: I’d bring the passion back. Most of us went into dentistry to help people and make a difference. But too many are burning out. If we can reignite that spark, everything else—including sustainability—gets easier. When you care, you lift your head up. You start looking around. And that’s when change begins.

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This series of interviews is in support of our mission to accelerate sustainability and decarbonisation across SMEs, NGOs and value chains. By sharing experiences, lessons learned and tips and tricks to embedding sustainability, we can all learn how to improve more, faster.

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