Eco labels to arrive on compost bags next spring
A long-awaited labelling scheme for compost, listing ingredients and rating them on how eco-friendly they are, is to appear on bags next season. The labels will use a coloured ‘petal’ symbol to rate compost brands from A to E, giving an at-a-glance green rating similar to energy ratings on household appliances.
Compost that contains peat, due to be banned from bagged potting compost after 2024 under Government proposals, will score no higher than D, says Steve Harper, chair of the industry-wide Responsible Sourcing Scheme. “But we want to make sure that as we move forward we’re adding materials that are better for the environment than peat.”
The scheme rates all ingredients, including peat substitutes like coir and wood fibre, against seven categories from renewability and biodiversity to social impacts such as employment rights. Carbon emissions aren’t included, though it’s hoped they’ll be added as the scheme develops. It’s taken five years to gather all the information for each brand, and even now many don’t have a final grade.
Catherine Dawson, of peat-free manufacturer Melcourt, says assessing each ingredient has been a painstaking process, with some surprising results. Transporting materials like bark just 30 miles by diesel lorry, for example, can be almost as environmentally damaging as shipping it in from Spain. “When you drill down, things are not always as they seem,” she says.
But many smaller compost manufacturers have not joined the scheme. Professor Jane Barker, co-founder of peat-free Dalefoot Composts, says she agrees there should be more transparency, but is “alarmed” that carbon emissions caused by peat extraction aren’t included in ratings. “If it’s going to obfuscate, I wouldn’t want to be part of it,” she says.
And Sally Morgan, of campaign group Peat Free April, says the scheme is too complex and confusing for customers to fully understand. “The first thing should be a big label on the front warning that this compost contains peat,” she says. “Just get peat out of the way first and then start thinking about sustainability.”
Find out more at bit.ly/compost-eco-label
Labels will give an at-a-glance green rating, like energy ratings