Sustainability matters

Kew Gardens, Online Shop, Sustainability

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has joined the Race to Zero carbon and we’ve launched a target to become Climate Positive by 2030. 

As a leader in environmental research and plant science, sustainability is at the very heart of everything we do at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, including our retail strategy.  

This strategy includes ensuring our suppliers meet stringent sustainability standards, making sure our packaging is as sustainable as possible, and delivering our goods and services with the lowest carbon footprint.  

These sustainable retail practices form part of RBG Kew’s sustainability strategy. 

Buying Strategy

Sourcing items from suppliers with effective sustainability policies and practices is incredibly important to us and is part of our accreditation to the International Environmental Standard ISO14001, which we received in 2005. 

Before we work with any supplier, we ask them to demonstrate their compliance with our procurement standards. These standards include asking suppliers to provide evidence of the following:

• Their strategy to address environmental impacts caused by their activities.  
• An ethical and sustainable sourcing strategy. 
• A carbon emission strategy that meets RBG Kew’s criteria. Including evidencing an ISO14001 EMS certification, measurement & reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, their net zero target date, and reporting of their carbon emissions created by delivering/transporting products to Kew.

• Evidence of inspection checks made to factories. 
• Evidence that child labour is not used in the manufacture of products or evidence that they comply with the International Labour Organization guidelines and the Transparency in Supply Chain Provisions Act. 
• Evidence that no animal testing is used in the creation of products. 

• Proof of their approach to minimising use of single use plastic in products. We ask that single use virgin plastic packaging is avoided where possible and alternatives found, or packaging removed entirely.  
• Evidence of current environmental practices in Peat. Where peat is included in a product, sourcing alternatives are explored, and peat free suppliers will be chosen where possible.
• Documentation to prove that any Palm Oil used in products is RSPO accredited. If this is not demonstrated, alternative products are sourced.
• Evidence that timber products are Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) accredited or are proven to be sustainably sourced. 
• Assurance that plants have only been grown in the UK.  
• Evidence that all textiles are organic or Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton. 

In addition to these standards, our supplier’s products must also meet one of the following criteria:  

• Locally Sourced (within a 20-mile radius) or UK sourced.  
• Made from Plants or Trees. 
• Fairly traded. 
• Made of Recycled or Reclaimed Materials.  
• Reflects RBG Kew’s Heritage. 
• Educates on Kew’s research. 

Packaging

Packaging generates unnecessary waste, most of which goes to landfill. To tackle this, we measure the amount of packaging we use and aim to use sustainable options wherever possible.

The cardboard boxes and packaging we use are compostable and made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources. 
Where possible, we also repurpose boxes and packaging we receive from our suppliers to minimise waste across Retail and ECommerce. Additionally, we use Hivewrap or recycled paper as an alternative to bubble wrap and plastic packaging.

Couriers

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

Currently, we largely ship online orders with Royal Mail who have the lowest reported carbon emissions per parcel of any major UK delivery company and have the UK’s largest electric van fleet of any major UK parcel operator. Royal Mail aim to be net zero by 2040, bringing forward the initial target by ten years.  

Retail Operations

Sustainability lies at the heart of how we operate as a Retail & Ecommerce department. We’ve brought in the following day-to-day practices to reduce our environmental footprint:   

• Staff are encouraged to travel by public transport or cycle to work. 
• Cross site meetings are held virtually to minimise travel. 
• A ‘switch off’ policy is in place to conserve energy. 
• We’re moving towards a paperless office. 
• All network printers set to double sided printing. 
• Bag for life usage is encouraged across all Retail stores. 
• Recycling facilities are available across all sites. 
• Induction training for every new employee covers sustainability. 
• Sustainability is a recurring agenda item at our meetings and at the heart of the Retail strategy. 

If you have any comments or questions about our Sustainability strategy, please do not hesitate to get in touch: onlineshop@kew.org.