Seven commitments to sustainability

As a company committed to preserving wildlife it should not be a surprise that we are also extremely passionate about protecting the wider environment. Please read below for more information on some of our initiatives. 

1. Supporting green partners 

Every year we provide income to our green partners across Europe to enable them to carry out vital conservation work. This work includes mass tree planting initiatives, native wildflower planting and general habitat restoration. It also includes feeding and habitat support for endangered species (such as dormice and red squirrels).

2. Sustainable resources 

We opt to purchase sustainable materials wherever we can. This includes our commitment to purchasing FSC-certified woods and papers, flower seeds that are SKAL certified and perennial plants that are ‘On the way to Planet Proof’ certified.  For more information, please follow the links below:

• FSC general information
• Our FSC certificate
• SKAL general information
• On the way to PlanetProof general information

We are also passionate believers in the circular economy philosophy which involves reusing, repairing and recycling existing products and their components for as long as possible. As an example, much of our office furniture is sourced from second-hand sources.

3. CO2 reduction 

We’re currently working with an independent company to measure and understand our CO2 footprint – and from this setting and publishing targets for reduction. In the meantime we are already installing smart meters and automated lights across our company. We harness solar power on some sites and are looking to extend this. We also minimize transportation movements by producing and storing inventory close to most of our customers.  

4. Smarter, greener packaging 

We are working hard to reduce the amount of single use plastic in our business. This will become apparent if you regularly buy from us. For example, this year we are changing our peanut butter lids from brown to grey as this includes less carbon and so are far easier to recycle.  

5. Moving from printing on paper to digital distribution 

More and more of our communications are sent digitally instead of printed and posted. Where we do still print, we think hard about the added value it brings in each case and we work with companies that use environmentally conscious printing techniques and FSC-certified paper.  

6. Getting your order to you 

We pack our parcels in boxes that are made with up to 90% recycled materials. We use sustainable protective fillers and we choose carriers that have the greenest credentials.

7. Staff-led sustainability team 

Our entire company is committed to making our business as sustainable as possible. In addition to full senior management team support, we have a grass-roots team of volunteers called ‘green heroes’ that are responsible for generating new ideas and then championing them within the wider business. All staff are welcome to join and so we have volunteers across several locations and from multiple departments – this leads to a healthy mix of experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm.  

We can and will do so much more. Look out for further updates on this page.