World Environment Day | How we're Improving

Today, June 5th, is World Environment Day. Every day we become more aware of the need to make choices that are better for the planet. Both for now, and for the generations that follow us. We can't claim to be perfect or make the right choice every time but, like many others, we know it's important to do the best we can and seek to improve with every decision we make. And those little changes will indeed make a big difference when we are making them together. 

Here we look at five ways we are trying to address some of the environmental issues that we are facing.

1. Best to Invest

First and foremost our founder, Jon, started Garden Trading over 25 years ago with the vision that the products we created and put out into the world would be of the highest quality we could make. That they not only suited the way we live now but that have a place in our homes for years to come. To this day, our designers and buyers are committed to creating items that last and which can be passed on through families, to avoid needlessly throwing items away after a few uses. Our Raw Oak Dining Table is the perfect example. Simple, stunning design made in beautiful wood, that is ideal for everyday family life and made to suit any interior style. An investment piece that will find itself a home for a long time to come. 

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2. Choose to Reuse

Our recycled glass vase collection is hand-blown using 100% recycled glass to create beautiful organic shapes. Because each piece is handmade, they have their own unique size, colour and texture - which we think makes them even more special.

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3. Not a Lotta Bottles

Using packaging for our everyday essentials can really add up when it comes to household waste. Using storage jars that can be refilled time and time again with our favourite grocery items is a good way to cut down on the amount of packaging we use. Just this week, Waitrose have announced a trial where customers can bring their own storage containers to refill with their staple items including beer, wine, laundry supplies and cupboard essentials. Our glass water bottles, milk bottle holders, glass jars and pet food bins are ideal for replacing plastic packaging in favour of more environmentally-friendly solutions.

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4. Make Mine a Redesign

Given the amount of problems discarding plastic bottles causes, we are hugely proud of the Diamond Throw. Repurposing plastic into something, not only useful but beautiful, instead of ending up on a beach or in the ocean somewhere is a definite win-win. 

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5. With Kind in Mind

Looking after the planet doesn't simply mean its surface but the people and animals that share its space. Whether it's Fairtrade felt storage or bee houses to encourage the bee population, we continue to explore new products that are kinder to the environment as a whole.

We're on a journey to being more conscious in every choice we make, and we still have a way to go. But as we said, making little changes together goes a long way.