LOFA members Improving green credentials

Improving green credentials

Garden centre customers can rest assured knowing that LOFA members continue to improve the sustainability of their products

Most consumers are now looking for green credentials when purchasing products. Where does it come from, how is it made and what is it made from? LOFA has always had a respect for the environment, in fact it’s included within our Code of Practice, so we asked our members to share what they are doing to make their working practices and their products a little greener.

Eco focus at Woodlodge

Woodlodge is on a mission to tackle energy efficiency and waste reduction. The energy powering its warehouse and offices comes from its own wind turbine which supplements that from a renewable energy supplier. Even in the office it reuses and recycles paper, ink cartridges, milk bottles and food packaging. In the warehouse, packaging is recycled and pallets are re used for distribution and storage.Key ranges are also made from recycled and sustainable materials.

Cool Earth is a collection of contemporary planters made from bamboo fibres and Eco Pots is a new range of self-watering planters made from recycled plastic. The Feather range has been created using 100% recycled plastic and the Dorset furniture collection is FSC certified eucalyptus. Resistant to different weather conditions, this wooden garden furniture is highly popular due to its of traditional design and contemporary style. www.woodlodge.co.uk Phone: 01666 501000 Email: pots@woodlodge.co.uk

Innovators International brings long lasting wood effect furniture

Innovators International has produced a collection of zero maintenance wood effect furniture called Winawood. It has combined the recycled polymer with the latest manufacturing techniques, to achieve a unique and durable product. Winawood reduces the need to grow, harvest and extract new raw materials from the earth and is fully recyclable, meaning materials can be reused and converted into future products. www.innovators-international.co.uk Phone: 020 8736 2700 Email: office@innovators-international.co.uk

LOFA partners with Planet Mark.

LOFA, made the decision in 2021 to support its membership on the journey to becoming more sustainable and help them reduce their carbon footprints by partnering with Planet Mark. Its certification recognises continuous improvement, encourages action, and helps build an empowered community of like-minded individuals to make a whole world of difference. By measuring and reducing its carbon footprint with Planet Mark LOFA can directly and measurably contribute to up to 9 sustainable development goals (SDG) and address 25 SDG targets. ‘At the LOFA office, a Planet Mark audit showed LOFA had earned its stripes and saved an acre of rainforest with Cool Earth

Tree planting through SOLEX visting

This year LOFA is offsetting the carbon footprint of the exhibition to help the environment. The plan is to make the show a carbon neutral event, so with a little help from Planet Mark LOFA will be asking visitors and exhibitors how they travelled to and from the show. LOFA will also be partnering with the RSPB and for every visitor that attends SOLEX 22 (12-14 July), will donate £5. Each donation will plant a tree at RSPB Haweswater on the eastern edge of the Lake District National Park

Carbon footprint focus for RotoSpa

RotoSpas are manufactured in the UK and their carbon footprint is the lowest of any available in the UK. During the last 12 months, RotoSpa has redesigned its range to reduce the amount of unnecessary outsourced components, and make improvements to reduced the energy required to run the spas.

The spas unique Rototherm Insulation shell is designed to route warm air from electrical components back into the spa to reduce the energy required to heat the water. The innovative jet system has also been designed with energy consumption in mind. To encourage the use of ‘green’ heating options such as air source heat pumps, RotoSpa now offers heat exchanges to the end user These reduce the energy consumption required to heat the spa water.

As manufacturer it is constantly striving to offset its carbon footprint and create a product that is more energy efficient. Its tree planting in the UK with the Woodland Trust will continue throughout 2022.

The logistics department has hard targets on reducing CO2 emissions from

More trees planted with Bramblecrest furniture

Bramblecrest is conscious of the world around it and with strong principles when it comes to working sustainably it is taking positive steps to a greener future. Everything is designed with longevity in mind. The majority of its cushion covers are made from yarn spun from recycled plastic bottles, timber furniture is compliant with EU Timber Regulations and synthetic rattan is made from recyclable polyethylene woven over fully recyclable aluminium frames. Solar panels are used on a selection of parasols to utilise the power of the sun to power the LED lights.

All Bramblecrest packaging is recyclable, and it is proud to be a ‘zero-to-landfill’ company. Bramblecrest also plants a tree for every furniture set sold and in 2022 it started working with Ecologi so its tree planting progress can be followed online. It is also a proud member of Planet Mark and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint each year across all its business practices. www.bramblecrest.com Phone: 01285 760947 Email: paula@bramblecrest.com

the delivery schedule and is embracing low polluting vehicles. Biomass heat generation is used in power the UK factory and it is looking into developing solar powered spas with holiday parks and ways of recycling the hot water currently drained away on park changeover days. www.rotospa.co.uk Phone: 0121 354 3428 Email: sales@rotospa.co.uk

LifestyleGarden recycled furniture is a social game changer

Sustainability and having a positive impact on the planet is at the heart of LifestyleGarden. Since 2019 the DuraOcean Chair has gone on to repurpose 204,000kg (240 tonnes) of ocean plastic. It has now formed a new collaboration with Plastic Bank and Social Plastic giving consumers the chance to build a brighter future for people in poverty and effect real change in the lives of people who are struggling. This is a game changing initiative.

In simple terms, local people join Plastic Bank as collectors, gathering waste that has been dumped in coastal locations. When they take it to a Plastic Bank collection branch the value is exchanged for premiums that can be used for basic family necessities, such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition and health insurance. Collected material is reborn as Social Plastic, which can be sold to manufacturers and integrated into new products and packaging, creating a closed-loop supply chain. There are international collection centres in countries with high rates of plastic pollution and poverty, currently Brazil, Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt and Haiti.

Always keen to use as much recycled content in its outdoor furniture as possible, LifestyleGarden has now launched a range of Nassau Social Plastic furniture. Every Nassau chair will be made from the equivalent of 175 recycled plastic bottles, with each chair directly contributing to vulnerable communities supported by Plastic Bank. LifestyleGarden has such faith in the popularity of this set and the value Social Plastic will have to modern consumers, it has set a target of recycling the equivalent of 13.2million plastic bottles in its first year. www.lifestylegarden.com www.scancom.net Phone: 07851 610573 Email: kimberley@ hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk

Ginique has sustainability at its heart

Ginique only works with companies who share its ethos and its products have sustainability at their heart. As well as its products being made from recyclable materials, it only uses recyclable packaging materials, so its pallet wrap, cello tape, and cardboard is fully recyclable. Its re-uses and recycles daily, including old pallets for storage and distribution, paper, ink cartridges, cardboard and plastic.

The Ginique range of fire pits, BBQs, candles and fire sculptures are made from two sustainable metals stainless and It to. Stainless steel lasts a long time, is fully recyclable and has no detrimental impacts on the immediate environment or local ecology. It is untouched by most weathering effects (even rain, sleet, and snow) as well as atmospheric corrosion. Corten steel is 100% recyclable, making it an attractive and environmentally friendly option. Corten steel is long lasting, easily recyclable and has a zero-maintenance finish making it a very ecofriendly and sustainable material.

Plus, for every Glowbus firepit or candle holder produced a donation is made by the manufacturer to a nature conservation organisation. This results in 25 trees being planted for every Glowbus product and so far, 8.1 hectares of forest has been planted. Ginique is also continuously working to optimise production and transport processes and looking for ways to reduce its ecological footprint. www.ginique.co.uk Phone: 01952 443865 Email: hello@ginique.co.uk its products have sustainability