Natural Materials
Even before sustainability hit the headlines, Haxnicks specialised in developing plant protection that help to avoid the use of chemical pesticides. Pesticides can be harmful to the environment and so reducing these was a top priority. We continue to add to this range and put physical rather than chemical barriers between pests and your plants.
Plastics were the next challenge. Our approach to their use is two-fold. Firstly, we ensure that any plastics we do use are not ‘single use’ and use recycled and waste materials to produce them. And secondly, we are continually exploring new technologies to replace them with natural and sustainable materials.
Waste material could be things like offcuts from the garment and furniture industry that would otherwise go to landfill. Recycled could come from anything from old fabrics to water bottles. Both waste and recycled materials are used for our innovative Vigoroot fabric.
We are also reviewing all of our packaging to make sure it is as sustainable as possible. From getting rid of excess plastic to small changes like using natural twine to attach products rather than small plastic tags.
We have been able to move to totally natural materials for some of our products. We now have bamboo, hemp, natural latex and coir in our range. After use these can all be added to your compost heap or sent to your local recycling centre. Even if your local authority is unable to recycle them, you know that they will just decompose in landfill and not sit there for 500 years! The other advantage of these materials is that not only do they breakdown naturally after the plants like hemp and bamboo are fast growing and store carbon.
The Bamboo range in particular has done much to stem the tide of non-recyclable traditional petroleum-based black plastic pots.
At Haxnicks we care about the environment and the environmental impact of our products. We are keen to do all we can to protect the environment at the same time as bringing new, practical and genuinely useful products to gardeners.