For over 20 years Westland has been relentless in driving a sustainable growing?media strategy, with horticultural excellence central to what we do. Exacting?standards, consistency, growing performance and affordability are at the heart?of their consumer and professional nursery offer.
Over this time, Westland, has invested over ?30m to establish a multimaterial?approach to their growing media offer. Ingredients like the West + (a?sustainable natural growing medium) mean that the company is not reliant on any single?material, including peat. It is true that peat is still in demand and the substrate?of choice in many growing media formulations, used by gardeners and the?wider ?1.4 billion plant sector. However, it is not the critical factor it once was?for Westland.
Supply issues are an industry reality for the coming season, but whilst having a?cost impact it will have no effect on Westland product availability in 2018. More?importantly, no effect on quality owing to the multi-material and sustainable?approach we have taken for many years.?Keith Nicholson, marketing director said: ?The bigger concern is that when there?are shortages of peat availability there is often the ?silent? increase in the use of?poor quality substitute materials to replace peat. The prime example is Green?Waste. Westland has a proud record of not using Green Waste in any of its?products, factories or facilities owing to highly inconsistent results for gardeners.?
Green Waste is a material that needs to be treated extremely carefully as it can?be potentially damaging to the reputation of growing media with both?gardeners and professionals alike. It is important the Westland’s growing media industry?does not take these ?silent? short cuts and keeps product consistency at the?heart of the company’s valuable market sector.
