Other farmers take a leaf out of our book
We are sustainable growers
We conduct our business ethically, sustainably, safely, and socially. We care about the environment and we care about people - continually challenging ourselves to think bigger, do better. We work hard everyday to minimise our environmental footprint, meet our obligations to Human Rights, educate and develop our employees and engage with local communities. We are committed to health and safety in the workplace and ensuring the optimal safety and quality of our fresh, leafy products.
“I am proud of my colleagues at Vitacress.
From farmers and operations teams, to engineers and our leadership - we are all focused on our sustainability agenda."
Leah Mathias-Collins,
Group Environment Manager
From seed to shelf
We take responsibility for the land we farm very seriously. We know if we protect and nourish our soil sustainably now, it will continue to produce quality crops. From growing our salads and herbs to delivering our produce, we use the most sustainable, efficient, and innovative techniques – always looking at every opportunity to improve.
We need to do our bit
Not just for the business, but for our people, our families, for future generations.
We must make sure we leave the land better than we found it – which is why we put environmental needs at the centre of our strategic decisions and day-to-day operations. It will make us more resilient, more competitive and prepared for changes in legislation in the face of a rapidly changing climate.
Net zero carbon by 2040
Looking after the environment is second nature to us.
We are working towards becoming net zero by 2040. We will achieve this through a framework aptly named Second Nature which focuses on emissions, water, plastics, waste, soils, peat and biodiversity.
Our progress so far
We are on it, doing what we have said we would do.
Reducing emissions
We’ve cut energy consumption with electric company cars, smart LED lighting for our herbs, movement sensors and switching to 100% certified renewable energy.
No to unnecessary plastic
We are the first grower to switch to fully recycled and recyclable plant pots. We’ve reduced the plastic in our salad and herb packaging too.
Peat free
All our horticultural range in selected garden centres and RHS stores are grown peat free.
Sustainable water supplies
We recirculate our water – reusing every drop. We are ‘non-consumptive’ for our watercress and salad washing in the UK – this means we don’t waste our water supply.
High quality surface waters
We are monitoring the health of our rivers to maintain and protect the natural habitat.
Sustainable soils
We are working with partners to set a blueprint for healthy soil.
More biodiversity
It is important to us that while we farm our land, we protect the natural world around us.
We’ve undertaken full ecological surveys and have a 10-year biodiversity action plan in place for all of our UK growing sites. From planting wildflower meadows, trees, hedgerows, and conservation strips to beekeeping and installing boxes for bats, birds and owls, we are making positive changes to biodiversity loss.
An end-to-end supply chain
From growing to delivering our produce, we are hands on at every stage.
We are vertically integrated which means our people have control over the supply chain from soil to logistics to retail. We are able to cultivate an excellent, sustainable service for our customers, supplying all year- round produce and unrivalled food safety standards.
Our partners
At Vitacress, we have a big sustainability agenda encompassing plant science, engineering solutions, food safety, soil health.
We work in partnership with businesses, organisations academics and local communities to grow our knowledge and better the environment around us.