Seeds of progress
Discover how Florette gives back to the environment by minimising waste and supporting wildlife on its farms
From delicate lamb’s lettuce and crunchy radicchio to peppery wild rocket and subtly nutty spinach, all the best salads start with a bag of beautifully crisp, fresh leaves – and they don’t come much better than Florette.
But it’s not just the unrivalled freshness and flavour that make Florette’s salads so special; it’s also the brand’s unwavering dedication to protecting local plants and wildlife, with its responsible approach to farming.
Taking responsibility
As a farmer-owned co-operative, Florette strives to grow its salads as sustainably as possible, whether that’s by capturing rainwater and reusing it for tunnel irrigation or sending food waste back to local farmers to feed to their livestock. And the team is always looking for new ways to create safe havens for wildlife on its farms. For instance, the farm in Colchester is fully water selfsufficient, and its on-site reservoirs provide homes for a variety of plants and insects, as well as water for birds.
Large areas of grass are left uncropped, too, to form wildlife corridors, creating a network of natural habitats for insects and small mammals. As a result of all this incredible work, Florette was awarded a gold sustainability rating from EcoVadis in 2023, for its ongoing commitment to protecting the environment and promoting more sustainable farming methods.
Protecting our pollinators
The people at Florette are also committed to sowing wildflowers wherever they can on their land to provide bees, butterflies and other pollinators with food throughout the year. The State of Nature Report 2023* revealed the UK’s pollinators, including bees, hoverflies and moths, have decreased by 18% on average since 1970. Fortunately, Florette believes we can all play a small part in changing this. No matter if you have a garden or a window box, you can easily support our wildlife and enhance your outdoor space by scattering wildflower seeds between the months of March and May or August and September.
Florette’s Head of Agronomy, Nick Walker, knows more than most how valuable our pollinators truly are. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen fewer bees and hoverflies in our gardens, as biodiversity decline has taken
hold of landscapes across the country,” he says. “Some people may not realise it, but pollinators are actually worth millions of pounds a year to UK agriculture, and this continuing decline threatens food production.
“Wildlife protection starts on our doorstep, which is why many Brits are already taking nature-friendly steps to try and stop the decline. Even small, simple changes such as wildflowering an area of your garden can help to reverse the loss of our vital pollinators.” With all this in mind, it’s no surprise Florette also won a Bees’ Needs Champions Award from DEFRA last year, for its efforts to support bees and other wildlife.