Tag: peat

Tesco to go peat-free on UK-grown bedding plants and compost in major carbon-saving move

Stuart Mitchell

In April Tesco became the first UK retailer to go peat-free on its British-grown bedding plants, in order to significantly lower their carbon footprint.  From earlier this year the supermarket started selling only compost that is also completely peat-free.  Peat is still the most popular aid used by the horticulture industry to grow potting plants but when harvested, vast quantities of carbon are released into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change.    The ground-breaking step has been made in partnership with one of the UK’s leading ornamental plant suppliers, Bridge Farm Horticulture, based in Spalding,…

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Sale of horticultural peat to be banned in move to protect England’s precious peatlands

Stuart Mitchell

All sales of peat to amateur gardeners in England will be banned by 2024, the UK Government has announced. Peatlands are the UK’s largest carbon store but only approximately 13% of our peatlands are in a near-natural state. This degradation has occurred due to drainage for agricultural use, overgrazing and burning, as well as extraction for use in growing media. Bagged retail growing media accounts for 70% of the peat sold in the UK and is frequently misused, for example being used as a soil improver rather than a medium…

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Waitrose to stop selling bagged gardening compost made from peat

Stuart Mitchell

Waitrose has brought forward plans to stop selling bagged gardening compost made from peat, pledging to only sell peat-free alternatives by the start of 2022 – helping its customers adopt more sustainable practices in their gardens.  The move will come several years ahead of government plans, which recently announced it intends to ban the sale of compost containing peat to amateur gardeners by the close of the current parliament in 2024. Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability, at the John Lewis Partnership said:  “If rainforests are the lungs of…

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Heathrow takes vital step towards carbon neutrality

Stuart Mitchell

Heathrow has announced its investment in an unique project in UK aviation: the restoration of UK peatlands to offset carbon emissions.  Working with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and DEFRA, Heathrow’s first restoration priority will be Little Woolden Moss, part of Chat Moss which is a larger area of peat bog land, west of Manchester, it has been subject to commercial peat extraction for over 15 years.   The restoration of the UK’s peatland bogs, forms part of Heathrow’s plans to be a carbon neutral airport by 2020. By supporting research…

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