At Cotswold Veg Box, our mission is to provide fresh, high-quality produce while actively promoting environmental sustainability as much as we can. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact wherever possible to benefit our customers, community, and the planet.
Commitment to Sustainability
We recognise our responsibility to protect the environment for future generations. The sustainability of our products is always highly considered whenever making any business decisions. We are by no means perfect, but we are always considerate.
Reducing Plastic in Food Packaging
- Eco-Friendly Packaging: We prioritise the use of biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable packaging materials.
- Minimal Packaging: We strive to minimise plastic packaging without compromising the quality and safety of our produce.
- Reusable Solutions: We offer reusable containers to our regular, local customers and encourage customers to return them for cleaning and reuse.
- Supplier Collaboration: We will work closely with our suppliers to reduce plastic use throughout the supply chain. We buy our produce in bulk to avoid plastic where possible and return our crates and boxes to a local supplier to be reused.
Reducing Air Pollution & Road Miles
- Local Deliveries: We optimise delivery routes to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
- Efficient Logistics: Our delivery schedules are designed to consolidate trips and minimise the number of vehicles on the road. We also aim to get as much of our produce as we can from local growers and wholesalers.
- Customer Participation: We encourage customers to choose consolidated delivery days to further reduce road miles.
Sourcing Local Produce
- Supporting Local Farms: We source the majority of our produce from farms and wholesalers within the Cotswolds, the Vale of Evesham and the surrounding areas.
- Seasonal Offerings: Our product selection emphasises seasonal produce to reduce the need for long-distance transport.
- Community Investment: By buying local, we invest in our community and contribute to the local economy.
- Transparency: We can provide information about the origins of our produce, so customers know exactly where their food comes from.
Supporting British Farmers
- Fair Partnerships: We establish fair and long-term partnerships with British farmers.
- Promoting British Agriculture: We actively promote British-grown produce to help sustain the nation’s agricultural industry.
- Economic Support: By prioritising British farmers, we help maintain rural livelihoods and preserve farming heritage.
Continuous Improvement
We are dedicated to continuous improvement in our environmental practices.
- Employee Engagement: Our team is trained and encouraged to adopt sustainable practices at work.
- Customer Feedback: We value customer input on how we can enhance our sustainability efforts.
Waste
- all of the cardboard waste we generate is recycled locally.
- We create as little food waste as possible. We only ever order what we need to fulfil our orders each week. Anything leftover is either donated to a local food bank or given to a local farm to feed their animals.
- Our general waste is taken to a local recycling plant where it is either recycled or incinerated to provide power for the National Grid.
Cotswold Veg Box is passionately committed to environmental stewardship. By focusing on sustainability, reducing plastic use, minimising air pollution and road miles, sourcing local produce, and supporting British farmers, we aim to make a positive impact on the environment and our community. Together with our customers and partners, we are cultivating a greener future and we will always keep these values at our heart as we grow as a company.
