Sustainability & Environment

Our wooden products are made of material sourced from responsibly-managed forests and controlled sources

At Zest, we have a genuine commitment to the environment and ethical sourcing, and we are proud to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council^® (FSC^®-C114990) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest (PEFC/16-37-1490).

Our timber is certified to either FSC^® or PEFC standards, and our commitment to sustainability is a fundamental part of our brand ethos.

We are dedicated to re-planting and nurturing woodland habitat and are collaborating with our manufacturing partners on re-planting schemes across Europe.

In Wales, we are working with wildlife experts to manage woodland habitats. We are also working towards 100% recyclable and reusable packaging, reducing the use of plastic, and using waste timber to fuel our biomass boilers.

We use timber from FSC^{^®} and PEFC certified forests

We always meet FSC^® and PEFC standards

Our products are made of material from well-managed, FSC^®-certified and PEFC certified forests and controlled sources.

Replanting our woodland

We are committed to replanting forests in the UK and Europe.

We're working towards 100% recyclability and reusability

Reducing the use of single-use plastic is one of our top priorities and we are committed to making all aspects of our packaging environmentally-friendly.

Expertly selected materials

We use slow-grown softwood for beauty and longevity.

Helping to manage wooded habitats

We are working with wildlife experts near our headquarters in Wales to protect and manage habitats for native species.

Always innovating for sustainability

We recycle non-standard pallets into new ‘treesaver’ pallets, maximising their lifecycle. Waste timber is used to fuel our biomass boilers.

Committed to 100% recycling and reusability of our packaging

Our thoughtfully designed products are made of material from well-managed, FSC®-certified, and PEFC-certified forests and controlled sources. FSC®-certified and PEFC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social, and economic standards.

FSC^® and PEFC forest management certification confirms that the forest is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers while ensuring its economic viability. So you can expect natural, organic timber selected for sustainability, beauty, and longevity.

Zest, with its main supply partners in Eastern Europe, is dedicated to re-planting and nurturing woodland habitat and is collaborating on planting schemes and the nurturing of wildlife habitats in Europe as well as the UK.

We are equally committed to the 100% recycling of and reusability of all our packaging by 2024, with single-use plastic minimisation being a top priority. We are constantly innovating ways to protect and deliver our products safely and sustainably.

For example, we repair and recycle non-standard pallets in the UK into new ‘treesaver’ pallets, maximising their lifecycle, and all our off-cuts and waste timber goes to fueling our biomass boilers.

Zest, with its main supply partners in Eastern Europe, is dedicated to re-planting and nurturing woodland habitat, and is collaborating on planting schemes and the nurture of wildlife habitats in Europe and the UK.

Our Environmental Initiatives

We don’t just limit our policies to our products, we also make sure our business processes are kind to the environment too.

Rainwater

We reuse rainwater, where possible

Biomass Boilers

Four biomass boilers burn timber waste for heating and hot water

Solar Panels

We’ve installed 30kW solar panel systems

Recycling

Our offices and warehouse recycle wherever they can

Operations & Transport

To ensure we minimise our impact on the environment, we focus on all our business activities to ensure our whole business maximises sustainability.

Our offices and warehouses across our sites are heated by five biomass boilers, which use woodchips from waste wood. Every suitable roof has solar panels installed, producing even more green power for the business, and we reuse rainwater wherever possible. Our ‘environmental champions’ from every division ensure we are always prioritising sustainability at every level and aim to maximise our mixed recycling systems in all areas of the company.

Zest is focusing its attention on the continuous improvement of the way it transports its products from importing into the UK to home delivery and the lengths taken to ensure all loads to our retail garden centre stockists are full to capacity whenever possible in order to reduce the number of overall miles of road freight and therefore to minimise emissions.

Using DFMA (design for manufacturing and assembly) principles, we ensure the maximum number of products are on a load by designing the optimum package with this in mind. We create the most space-efficient packing configurations to maximise the efficient loading of products and reduce the number of deliveries required. We also use 'smart' routing plans to minimise miles travelled.

For generations, Zest has respected its use of natural resources, and our ongoing goal is to provide high-quality sustainable products to retail garden customers and outdoor living enthusiasts in ways that enable everyone to share in our vision of sustainability.