Sustainability is a hot topic as the climate crisis becomes more urgent, but what does it mean?

At its core, sustainability is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. It is imperative in our industry that we address the issues of climate change and develop new ways of working to protect both the environment and the people and animals who live in it.

As a values-driven business, we strive to have as little impact on the planet as possible, but beyond the beautiful trees and stunning landscapes there are carbon emissions and waste which must be dealt with and habitats which must be protected.

With this in mind, for us, sustainability predominately means reducing our carbon emissions and waste, and doing everything we can to support the plant and animal life in our nursery, whilst at the same time operating our business.

We have developed an Environmental and Sustainability Policy we are proud of, and which can be found in the drop-down menu above. We are deeply committed to this policy and are prepared to do everything we can to reach our goals.

The hardest issue to tackle is our vehicles, most of which are agricultural. There has been very little development when it comes to electrifying agricultural and heavy goods vehicles. The problems are obvious and battery technology is not far enough advanced to make the leap to electric affordable for most businesses. It will take time for us to achieve vehicle electrification, but as soon as we can, we will; let’s hope things change considerably in the foreseeable future.

Climate change is particularly challenging for the horticulture sector and whilst we don’t know precisely how it will alter our planet, two things are certain: its complex environmental impacts will directly affect businesses, society and ecosystems, and governments will seek to mitigate its effects with far-reaching regulations.