Greenwood Plants named Peat Free Grower at HTA awards

Greenwood Plants has been named ‘Peat Free Grower’ at the 2023 Horticultural Trades Association Grower of the Year awards, held at the ICC in Birmingham on 5^th October.

The ‘Peat Free Grower’ award recognises Greenwood’s commitment to achieving its sustainability goals and championing the use of peat-free growing media within the horticultural industry. The ornamental grower has demonstrated that it is possible to grow peat-free on a commercial scale and has established pioneering sustainability practices across its business, investing in innovative processes to minimise its imprint on the planet.

The wholesale nursery committed to transitioning to peat-free growing media in early 2022 and is pleased to now be growing peat-free on all six of its nursery sites in the UK, in advance of anticipated industry regulation to prohibit the use of peat for commercial growers. Last year, Greenwood hosted a peat-free open day and created educational content on the problem with peat, and it is an active participant in round table industry discussions.

“I’m so proud that Greenwood has won this award. It is testament to the dedication of our nursery teams that have made the transition to peat-free a success”, says Managing Director, Melanie Asker. “Eliminating peat from our nurseries has enabled us to grow more sustainably and will contribute to our long-term goal of reaching Net Zero.” Melanie was at HTA: The Conference, where the award was announced, to talk as part of a panel of guests discussing sustainability for businesses within the horticultural industry.

The HTA’s Grower of the Year Awards demonstrate the high calibre of UK nurseries who lead the way in quality, levels of service, innovation and peat-free production. The Peat Free Grower category acknowledges the huge contribution that the horticultural industry is making towards the UK’s environmental targets. Greenwood Plants, and the other category winners, will now be entered into AIPH International Grower Of The Year Award.

If you’d like to find out more about Greenwood’s peat-free journey, visit www.greenwoodplants.co.uk/peat-free-growing/. 

Images credits: Horticultural Trades Association