OUR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

Here at Growforth, we are always looking for ways to ensure we are working as sustainably as possible. Our environmental policy highlights our commitment to helping our customers buy sustainable products and to provide them with recycling opportunities wherever we can.

We would love to hear from you regarding any recycling ideas or other suggestions on how we can further work to reduce our carbon footprint.

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Growforth is committed to protecting and rebuilding our environment. There are many contributing factors towards global warming and the ongoing environmental damage. We believe that by implementing small but fundamental changes, and encouraging our customers to do the same, will make a significant difference.

Plants
There are thousands of plant species and it’s essential we are secure, as a nation, from plant diseases. We promote best practice and are part of a ‘plant passport’ system in conjunction with SASA, for plants which are susceptible to disease. We are inspected twice a year to ensure we are meeting our plant health requirements. This helps better protect our plant trade and whole supply chain.

Planthealthy is an initiative set up by the HTA (Horticulture Trades Association with Government backing) and one that we wholly support and adhere to. Plant health is a major issue for the whole of the plant supply chain. This plant health management standard helps us in the development of a consistent plant health management system and our responsibilities within the plant supply chain.

Recycling & Re-using
We recycle all of our plastics, cardboard, glass, paper waste and ink cartridges. Our team keep any print to a minimum and much of our marketing is digital. We offer customer receipts, on tree-saver paper, but again where possible we discourage the printing of receipts. We also ask have a dedicated area for recycling ceramic pots. The team also try and reuse pallets and pots where possible.

Packaging
We have worked hard to remove polystyrene from all our packaging. Our suppliers have now also removed polystyrene from their packaging. Additionally, our trolley wraps are all recyclable. From 2020, we will no longer be handling any packaging made from expanded polystyrene.

Keeping it local
We believe in promoting and supporting Scottish based businesses therefore as much as possible, all our plants are Scottish-grown. We work with local suppliers to showcase to the community, the great produce on offer. A recent statistic suggested that for every £1 spent in a local business, 83p stays local compared to only 7p from larger corporate businesses. In keeping products local it helps reduce our potential carbon footprint. Timber – most of the benches we sell are made from recycled timber and we will endeavour to ensure within the next 2 years that all benches we stock are.

Energy Efficient
The electricity for our site is run through smart meters.

Raising awareness
We are committed to encouraging our suppliers, customers and employees to be aware that small changes can make a great impact. We now stock many eco-friendly and sustainable products including;

- Pots made from recycled materials
- The majority of the trees we sell are planted in peat-free compost
- Natural and sustainable plant food

Longer term, our aim is to prioritise purchasing sustainable products across all our departments.

Nature & Nurture
Plants are essential for our wildlife as well as bringing health benefits to individuals and the local community. We encourage and support local wildlife with our bird feeders, ladybird towers and nest boxes. Additionally, we hold community events promoting the benefits of bees and other insects. By working with our customers to create their own green space, whatever the size, we firmly believe this will help nurture nature and great a healthier environment.

Our sustainable development plan will continue to monitor the following as part of our environmental policy;

- Utilities
- Products
- Transport
- Staff
- Admin/Site Management