STORIES · 29.11.18
Food | Sustainability
When I founded Daylesford and turned our family farm over to organic farming it was because I wanted to make a change and to make a difference, however big or small. It felt like the right thing to do – the only thing to do, for the sake of the health of my family but also for the sake of our planet and its future.
And forty years on, our goals and our aims at Daylesford remain the same: to make a difference, to reduce our footprint and to farm, live and work as sustainably as we can. Everything that we do, whether on our organic farm in the Cotswolds or in our farmshops and cafés, has these core values in mind.
The nature of our packaging is in an area we focus on very intently. Where possible, we choose reusable packaging and prefer recyclable or renewable materials such as glass, metal, wood, card and paper. We choose materials that have already been recycled, or those that can be recycled or composted. Absolutely everything must be GM-free in line with Soil Association organic standards. We are constantly striving to innovate and to review the way we package our products and to reduce our packaging as much as we can.
The joys and celebrations at this time of year mean that sadly it is also a period when a lot of excess and waste is generated, a lot of it through packaging, so our team has been working hard this year to minimise our contribution to that load.
Previously, our turkey boxes were coated in a lamination that meant it was not possible to recycle them. The coating we now use to strengthen and reinforce them means that our boxes are completely recyclable.
And I am so proud of the fact that each element of the packaging in the image above, from the paper to the plastic window and the glue that holds it together is now made of cellulose, which is 100% compostable. And many, many more products like these are packaged in the same way.
We are still learning but in just a year we have come a long way and we are constantly improving, challenging and pushing the boundaries that little bit more. A huge thank you to our packaging team for their hard work and commitment to our goals, and many thanks to you, our customers, for your continued trust and support of the work we do.