Celebrating our top level sustainable business award
The Groves team began 2024 in style with recognition for the hard work they are putting in to make the business sustainable.
Awarded by Litter Free Dorset – Land, Coast & Sea, Groves received their Level 5 Sustainable Business Award, the highest possible, as a result of the small but impactful changes Groves, Little Groves and Ivy House Kitchen are making to the way they operate.
Eimeer Coyle, Project Officer for Little Free Dorset, particularly loved the recycling station for pots and compost bags and praised the used pens recycling pot the team have set up in their offices.
The scheme looks at tweaks and actions local businesses have implemented in five areas; single use plastic, water quality, recycling and waste management, community engagement/action and staff awareness.
Groves provide customers with paper bags instead of plastic and their popular recycling station also offers used coffee grounds from Ivy House Kitchen which customers can take home - great to spread on the garden! The Groves nursery is also proud to be 100% peat-free. Since 2021 all bedding, vegetable plants, shrubs, and perennials have been grown in Peat-Free growing media developed by Melcourt and Bulrush.
Scoring highly across the board, Managing Director Charlie Groves explains “we’re passionate about being as eco-friendly as possible at Groves and have been steadily working differently for years to ensure the way we operate is as sustainable as possible. Last year we launched our own brand peat free compost, which is a hit with our customers.
“One of the huge benefits of this project is the audit stage, which helps highlight new improvements to implement. From this we recently contacted our suppliers to encourage them to reduce their use of bubble wrap and pallet wrap, and joined the Refill Dorset campaign.”
As well as taking direct action to reduce their impact on the environment, Groves also promote sustainable steps customers can take to help out. Not only with their popular and very well used recycling centre, but also with the information displayed around the store and hints and tips for gardeners and visitors.
Nursery Manager Becky Groves believes the steps to eco-friendly gardening start earlier than we might think “making the right choice on plants can be crucial to reduce the need for spraying and interventions in the future. Our knowledgeable Plants Team are always on hand to talk to customers about the best options for their garden.”
