B&Q calls for more compost of consistent quality

The DIY chain, which controls about 38% of the growing media market in the UK, has said it is aiming to meet the government target of a 90% reduction in peat before 2010 and would like to phase out peat altogether.

But, speaking at the Composting Association's Annual Conference last week, the chain's social responsibility manager, Claire Cooper, said the reduction target would not be easy to meet.

””We can't afford to sell out of products. If we have a really busy weekend of sales we need to be able to guarantee that we can get more product in.”
“
– Claire Cooper, social responsibility manager

The company's figures for 2003 showed it was using 43% peat alternatives. Results for 2004 are expected in January.

Availability
To some extent, she said the reduction in peat usage depended on composters' ability to produce sufficient products of consistently high quality. “We want to increase our range of peat alternatives and we are thinking about what else we can bring in. It depends on the availability of alternatives and whether there are high enough volumes of those alternatives.

“We can't afford to sell out of products,” she went on: “If we have a really busy weekend of sales we need to be able to guarantee that we can get more product in straight away so there needs to good infrastructure supporting peat alternatives.”

She emphasised the importance of regularity in product, saying that customers are suspicious of goods that do not look and smell the same each time they buy it. “This means ensuring the consistency of raw materials, despite seasonal variations with Christmas trees for example and variations in conditions at different sites.”

Moisture
In terms of the company's profits, Ms Cooper said B&Q; was not prepared to charge customers more for peat alternatives, even though they may cost more to produce. Therefore, it was preferable for composts not to contain any excess moisture or anything else that would make the product especially heavy to cut down on transport costs, she explained.

“There are plenty of growth opportunities, but this requires the company's suppliers to understand different types of product needed for example for pot plants compared to grow bags,” Ms Cooper said.

B&Q; is one of several retailers, along with Homebase and Marks & Spencer, which is working to phase out peat use in the UK in line with the government's Biodiversity Action Plan.