Our story: Unlocking the secrets of plants and fungi 

Plants and fungi underpin all life on Earth and drive everything that we do at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Our shops celebrate and support that passion and every purchase made supports us in this vital research and conservation work.

We put sustainable living and protecting our planet at the heart of everything we do, and we continue to bring Kew’s mission and vision to life through botanically inspired homeware and fashion, quality garden accessories and seeds, specialist books, unique gifts and luxury food and drink.

We hope that the items you buy in our shops help you to take a little piece of Kew with you, to inspire you to protect our planet. 

Our aspiration at Kew is to end the extinction crisis and help create a world where nature is protected, valued and managed sustainably. To support this, we prioritise the sourcing of sustainable products in our on-site and online retail outlets to reduce the climate and biodiversity impacts of our supply chains as rapidly as we can.

Kew’s shops have their own Ethical and Environmental Sourcing Policy, and a robust process for ensuring that our suppliers evidence crucial sustainability certifications (such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)).

While we don’t always have the buying power necessary to drive major change in supply chains, we ask challenging questions of all our suppliers and seek out those that are willing to deeply engage with sustainable supply chains.

Throughout our retail outlets we’re working to remove single-use plastics, prioritise use of reusable or recyclable materials, measure and reduce packaging, optimise deliveries to minimise transport emissions and select peat-free horticultural products wherever they are available (RBG Kew: Sustainability Strategy (2021).

We’re always looking to improve the sustainability of our ranges, whether it’s working with suppliers to change their packaging or sourcing new brands who have found sustainable alternatives to everyday products. We also work with suppliers who set up initiatives to give back to local communities or the environment where possible.

Recently, we’ve introduced corn-starch wraps on our cards and sweet ranges, cork bags as an alternative to leather, and FSC wooden alternatives to replace plastic kids items.

We strive to ensure that we’re sourcing paper material that is made only with paper from a proven sustainable source. Our books and print products are made from 100% FSC accredited printers and we always try to source our greeting cards and prints from local UK suppliers. 

Every online order is packaged using recycled materials, where possible.

Any other cardboard boxes and packaging used are compostable and made from FSC certified sources. Additionally, Hivewrap or recycled paper is used as an alternative to bubble wrap and plastic packaging.

We always aim to work with couriers with the lowest reported carbon emissions per parcel.

Find out more about how the Kew shop approaches sustainability.

Joining Kew as a member helps to support our scientific and horticultural mission. You can gift a membership to Kew or Wakehurst to your favourite person and their family.   

All our members get a range of benefits including:

• Unlimited visits to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst.
• 10% discount in our shops.
• Priority booking and discounts for a range of popular events.
• Membership newsletters and Kew Magazine subscription.
• A range of exclusive member events and activities. 

And much, much more.

Give the gift of Kew with a membership voucher or gift ticket.