Sustainability

Sustainability and our efforts to reduce plastic

We have always worked hard to ensure our production is as sustainable as possible by using renewable energy and reducing our carbon footprint. We only use woodland thinnings from within a 100 miles radius of our facility in Hereford and do not import our firewood or kindling from Eastern Europe. All our wood is dried in wood-fired kilns using our own wood waste to fire the kilns, although we do also need to buy in local woodchip. In addition, much of our electricity is provided by our solar panels.

Following programmes like David Attenborough’s recent Blue Planet series, there is now a massive wave of focus on reducing plastic. We also want to do our bit where we can to reduce our usage of plastic. Last year we talked with our plastic bag manufacturer and by working together, we managed to reduce our plastic input into our bags by a massive 20% without compromising the strength of the bags. This way we saved approx. 5 tonnes of plastic. On top of this, we also made sure that the bags can be fully recycled and have a put a message on all bags to make this clear.

This year, we took a step further and reduced the use of virgin plastic by making our bags with 30% recycled material. The new bags, which will come on the market in autumn, will also be fully recyclable. We have made the recyclable sign even more prominent on the bag. Over the coming year and beyond, we will continue to look at ways to significantly reduce our plastic, but at the same time as maintaining a strong brand image and ensuring the product is sufficiently protected to maintain the high standards of quality.