Local businesses collaborating to achieve more sustainable practices

In February 2024 Groombridge Farm Shop joined Amplifi. Amplifi is a local initiative raising awareness of the climate crisis and supporting local businesses that want to make environmentally-conscious decisions. At the Amplifi launch event, attended by staff from Groombridge Farm Shop, Mike Berners-Lee highlighted the importance of collaboration to make positive changes to business practices (click here to view the presentation). 

Businesses play a key part in addressing the climate emergency and the team at Amplifi, in collaboration with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, are bringing local businesses together to create a collaborative environment to support one another in making positive strides forward in the fight against climate change. We need to be ambitious in our actions to reduce the impact we have on the planet. In November 2022 we wrote our first sustainability policy which outlined some actions we were taking to reduce our waste. Steps we have already taken include:

• We no longer offer plastic bags. As a free alternative we reuse cardboard boxes from our deliveries and we have our Groombridge Farm Shop hessian bags available for purchase.
• We have bamboo takeaway cups with recyclable lids for our to-go coffee. However, we encourage all customers to bring their own takeaway mug, for which a discount is provided.
• We are asking our suppliers about their sustainability actions to ensure we are making sustainable choices about which suppliers we stock. When looking for new suppliers we try and source items in recyclable packaging.
• All our soft fruit is packaged into recyclable boxes.

While positive, the impact of these changes on our greenhouse gas emissions is not clear. With support from Amplifi we will be calculating our current greenhouse gas emissions, both at the shop and on the farm. This will provide us with a baseline value from which we can set greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets over the next 12-months. This is important for us to clearly demonstrate our commitment to reaching carbon neutrality in our business. 

As we establish how to make strides towards carbon neutrality in our business, we encourage our customers to choose only what you think you will use. The Choose What You’ll Use initiative supported by Tesco has some great ideas on how consumers can make positive changes. Their suggestions include:

• Buying loose fruit and vegetables can help to reduce plastic.
• Look at what you have in the fridge already and make a meal plan that uses up some of these food items.
• Make a list of what you need so you don’t buy food that may go to waste.
• Try to stick to the list.