Our sustainability efforts

Being a company that primarily specialises in fresh fruit and vegetables, we know how vital it is to protect our ecosystem. We review our sustainability policies every year to ensure we stay on top of the best practices and are committed to procuring in a manner that promotes sustainability and limits the environmental impact of the business.

Objectives

  • Work in partnership with our supplier base to improve performance, limit errors and mistakes and thus promote efficiencies

  • Take a long-term view to purchasing; aim to achieve the best price over a period of time rather than the lowest price achievable at any point in time

  • Promote the use of U.K. products from local farms and growers

  • Use our fleet to backhaul goods where appropriate and achievable

Our achievements so far

Support Class 2 produce

Purchasing Class 2 produce from existing suppliers to reduce food waste including Asparagus and juicing apples from Kent, Cabbages from Lancashire, and Tomatoes from Sicily.

Partner with more UK suppliers

Developing multiple partnerships with local suppliers in Kent, including Thanet Earth for our cucumbers, salad leaves from L.J Betts, and more.

Eco-friendly packaging

Working with suppliers to switch as much of our packaging over to biodegradable as possible and gradually introducing crates for deliveries to limit our cardboard usage.

Reduce food waste

Partnering with Felix to reduce our waste and send our second-class produce to much-needed communities.

Reduce landfill waste

Working with Osca Bio Energy to convert food waste into renewable energy with their cutting-edge anaerobic digestion facilities, reducing our carbon footprint and lowering our overall food waste disposal.

Paper-free

With an average of 60% of our orders going through EDI and multiple key processes going digital, we’ve reduced our overall paper usage by 40% and in turn gained the company additional investment for future sustainability initiatives due to the efficiency.

Looking ahead

We will continue our efforts with our partners to implement tangible, sustainable solutions to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Goals

Electric cargo bikes

Reduce carbon emissions by introducing electric cargo bikes for second deliveries.

Reusable trays

Implement RFID-tagged trays to substitute cardboard boxes to reduce cardboard usage.

Centralised location

Relocating our Camberwell hub to be in Deptford to reduce our carbon footprint between the warehouses.

Waste reduction

Continue to reduce waste with our customers through organisations such as Waste Knot.