11 June 2024
Peatlands are a type of wetland, and cover at least 3% of global land surface. The landscapes are varied, and range from temperate blanket mires in Scotland, to swamp forests in Southeast Asia. The year-round waterlogged conditions slow plant decomposition so that dead plants accumulate and form peat, storing carbon. In their natural, wet state, peatlands are a critical nature-based solution to sequester carbon and provide valuable habitats. However, in a degraded state, peatlands can be a carbon source. Emissions from drained peatlands account for 5% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions.
Peat can be found in some products that we sell, as a growing medium in our horticultural supply chains and in lowland peat land used for agricultural production.
We are actively involved in projects with our suppliers to reduce the volume of peat used in our supply chains and are also investigating solutions that are completely sustainable for the future, while still delivering great quality for our customers. As a business overall, we are committed to providing peat-free solutions to customers ahead of the intended legislative deadlines.
Products grown in peat fall mainly into the fruit, vegetable and plant categories. Peat can be used to raise seedlings for young brassica, salad, root veg and some tomato crops, or to hold moisture to grow from and for potting houseplants or herbs.
In houseplants, you will see labelling on the packaging referring to whether a product is grown in a 'peat-free' or a 'reduced peat' mix. All of our bedding plants are 100% peat free; all bulbs we sell are sold with coir rather than peat discs; and all remaining perennials, climbers and litre pots are grown using a reduced peat mix.
We will continue to review the best way to inform customers about the work we are doing to reduce peat across our products. Our teams are working closely with suppliers to decrease the use of peat and make improved changes to products.
In October 2024, we became the first UK supermarket to launch conventional mushrooms grown without peat, in close collaboration with our supplier Monaghan, which spent ten years researching peat alternatives.
Monaghan developed a growing substrate made from recycled natural materials to replace the typical peat layer. This change reduces the carbon intensity of mushroom production and produces mushrooms which are firmer in texture, whiter in colour and have with a longer shelf life.
The new range will remove 20,465 tonnes of peat from mushroom production each year. Extracting peat contributes to climate change and the destruction of wetland ecosystems, as carbon emissions are released during harvest and the peatlands can take decades, if not centuries, to recover.
Peatlands also provide critical habitats for many rare, threatened or declining animal and plant species, while having a significant ability to retain water, and to improve both soil and water quality. This innovation has benefits across multiple pillars of our Plan for Better, from carbon to water and nature, contributing to our ambition to build a more resilient food system.