Peat and Plastic. Begone!
With COP26 now a fading memory (read our review of the summit here), we wanted to conclude our blog posts for the year with an update on what we, here at Wildflower Turf Limited, are doing to ensure that we “do our bit”.
Our two biggest targets as we look towards the future are to reduce peat use and to reduce the use of plastic. We continue to push research and development boundaries and sustainability is one of the core goals of our R&D department and at the forefront of our product development programme.
In line with public concern about the damage peat extraction does to our natural environment, Wildflower Turf Limited is committed to an annual reduction in our use of peat as a growing medium and, aligned with the England Peat Plan, aim to eliminate the use of peat by 2030.
We are already continuing to reduce the peat content of our turf, with a goal to be completely peat-free by 2026, ahead of the 2030 target set out in the England Peat Plan. And we are very pleased to announce that one of our peat-free goals has already been met and our Meadowscape Pro™ product is now 100% peat-free!
(If you’re not familiar with Meadowscape Pro™, our enhanced growing medium used by professionals for effective wildflower establishment, you can learn more about this alternative to Wildflower Turf® here.)
Unsurprisingly, our new peat-free Meadowscape Pro™ has been incredibly well received by our customers.
Heritage Landscapes (Bucks) Ltd completed a large, 700m2 peat-free Meadowscape Pro™ project for a client earlier this year. With late spring showers dictating the time of installation, the area was laid in mid-May.
Following installation, the weather was predictably dry, with the client dedicating time to watering and ensuring that post-installation advice was adhered to.
June and July saw some wet spells with the previously bare area now resplendent with wildflowers that bloomed with great longevity. And all with a clean, peat-free conscience!
Likewise, we were delighted to receive some images of another peat-free Meadowscape Pro™ project, completed by Teal’s Gardening Services Ltd. The client, based near Romsey in Hampshire, had 160m2 of peat-free Meadowscape Pro™ Native Enriched laid in early June.
In just two weeks, germination was evident, with the meadow still looking absolutely stunning in mid-September.
And so, on to plastic. Addressing wider societal concerns regarding the amount of plastic in products and packaging we are dedicated to recycling plastic wherever possible and are committed to a 75% reduction in the use of all forms of plastic used in our products by 2025.
(You can read more about what the UK Govt aims to achieve with respect to plastic, here.)
Again, our R&D team is devoting considerable effort to bringing innovative solutions to our customers. Watch this space as we will have more exciting news to share on this front (and a limited edition Wildflower Turf product launch) in 2022.
With a new year almost upon us, we would encourage all of our readers to consider ways in which you, too, can make a greater impact in terms of your own footprint during 2022. When we join forces, the challenge is far less daunting and our consultancy team are also available to assist you with any sustainability conundrums you may have. Either drop us a line at wildflower@wildflowerturf.co.uk or give us a call on 01256 771222.
And so, it is time to sign off the blog for 2021. Thank you for reading and we hope we have informed and inspired you during the past twelve months. We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.