Environmental Policy

Since 1922 Pentland has been at the heart of the local community as a family run, independent business.  Everything we do as individuals and as a small business aims to grow our centre in a responsible and sustainable way, as part of the community we have served for over many years.  Generations of local families have trusted us for their gardening needs and we hope to continue to share our experience and love of the gardening with future generations. 

We believe that businesses and individuals all have a responsibility to protect our environment. Gardening in its essence is great for the environment; planting trees and shrubs helps to trap carbon dioxide, many houseplants remove other harmful chemicals from the air we breathe, and being in contact with nature has a whole host of other benefits for health and mental wellbeing. 

This is why we’ve taken the lead with our staff, suppliers and regular customers, making protecting the environment central to our business. We live in a changing world so we work hard to stay ahead of government-led changes in legislation and environmental regulation while listening to the views and ideas of our customers and within our industry to stay ahead of innovation and encourage sustainable development.

As a company, we have developed best practice guidelines for all of our employees to reduce our carbon footprint, promote recycling and energy-efficiency and limit wastage wherever possible. We strive to minimise our impact on the local environment by preserving natural habitats of the indigenous flora and fauna, responsible use of water resources and zero tolerance of practices which could result in pesticide or fertiliser pollution of groundwater. As a company, we observe a number of commitments, which are set out in the following statement.

Nursery

We grow all our own bedding/ perennial and seasonal plants on site. All growing pots and packs are made from 100% recyclable material. The compost we use in our nursery is now 15% wood fibre. We use biological control on all our crops whenever possible

We recycle and compact all clean cardboard and paper waste using a cardboard compactor which was installed in 2016. Pentland Plants are aware of DEFRA’s (Department for Environmental Food & Rural Affairs) environmental policies and their aim to reduce Peat usage. We are conscious of the importance of existing peat bogs for the future of the environment. We also realise how important it is to provide customers with the information and choice in changing their behaviour to assist in CO2 reduction and climate improvement. Horticulture accounts for only 2% of peat use, most peat being burned for fuel. Worldwide the figure is much less, and some UK environmentalists are unfairly blaming everything on to horticulture. The compost we use in our nursery is now 15% wood fibre.

The overstart on propagated plant material has been reduced from 10% to 0%. Propagated material accounts for 50% of young plant production so it is estimated that has reduced green waste and also reduced the waste plastic by 2880 plug trays each year.

Cafe Panola

Our café recycle all food waste, glass, coffee granules and cooking oil. Cafe Panola in the first instance look to local suppliers for sourcing fresh produce which include Meat, Fish, Eggs, Bread Rolls and Milk. We have cardboard takeaway cups in the cafe and paper straws. You can bring your own travel mug and get a discount on a hot drink.

Pentland Biomass

Pentland Plants was an early adopter of biomass heating in the UK, installing 2MW of biomass in 2006 to heat the garden centre and greenhouses. The boilers are over 90% efficient which means reduced wood fuel consumption in comparison to other plants. The heat generated by our biomass eliminates our need to use kerosene boilers therefore reducing the CO 2 output by 2,000 tonnes a year. In addition, we added a further biomass boiler to our operation in 2016 to power our drying floor which is used to help to manage our chip and hardwood production. A further 1,000 tonnes of CO 2 is saved by this installation. As a woodchip, log and wood pellet provider we are facilitating other companies and individuals to use woodfuel instead of fossil fuel alternatives to the tune of over 12,000 tonnes CO 2 per annum.

Garden Centre

As a retailer we strive to stock eco-friendly products which are manufactured from a sustainable source. We encourage customers to reuse our cardboard boxes as opposed to carrier bags to transport their goods. Our carrying bags are 100% degradable. This means that once it’s discarded in a landfill site, just like a fallen leaf, it will disappear over time and leave no harmful residue in the soil. All our lighting is now LED Our retail compost offering includes a range of Peat Free products containing hollow wood fibres which are 100% natural. Of the plants we do not grow ourselves we continuously look to source from trusted UK based suppliers.

This effectively reduces the carbon footprint and actively promotes and supports regional business. We source and promote bee and butterfly friendly plants which are good for the environment  and we actively promote ‘grow your own’ fruit and vegetables. We support hundreds of local communities by giving them plants and seeds of flowers and vegetables for their gardens and allotments. We offer Peat-Free Potting Compost contains a mixture of organic materials e.g. composted bark, coir (coconut fibre), wood fibre and green compost along with inorganic materials e.g., grit, sand, rockwool and perlite.

A mix of coarse and fine materials is needed to create a balanced compost containing enough water and air required for root growth. Complete Peat-Free media are said to be the best for the environment, but product consistency can be problematic, so many brands now offer reduced peat choices. Many companies are continually improving the quality of their brands to assist in the results that our customers strive for.