Sustainability
See Our Latest NewsOur path to sustainability
Now more than ever, we recognise that we must do more to support climate action, so we are committed to reducing our impact on the planet. Throughout our journey, we will share with you what we’ve achieved, as well as our plans to be more sustainable in the future.
From harnessing solar power and harvesting rainwater to using green electricity and improving our waste streams, our aim is to become Carbon Neutral by 2026. We have already taken many steps to achieving this goal and have mapped out our future actions in our three pledges below;
1) make a PLAN TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF OUR WASTE
2) INCREASE OUR USE OF NATURAL ENERGY RESOURCES
3) BRING TO LIFE A CALENDaR OF INITIATIVES TO REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
1) make a plan to reduce the environmental impact of our waste |
Protecting Our Planet
We place climate at the heart of our community, reflecting on our business practices and continually looking for ways we can treat our planet with the greatest respect. We acknowledge that the handling of our waste is a priority in our mission to invest in the health of our planet, and we make a conscious effort to reduce, re-use and recycle across all our products.
In fact, we’ve even dedicated an entire year to improving the way we handle our waste and reducing it’s impacts on the planet. Here’s what we have already done and our plans for the next year…
no WASTE to landfill
Our vision is to send absolutely nothing to landfill. We are thoughtful about the waste that we create and ensure that we recycle everything that we possibly can. We already recycle plastic, cardboard, metal, food, oil, glass and wood.
We are proud to partner with a Yorkshire based intelligent waste management company, Footprint, finding progressive solutions to ensure we reduce the impact our waste has on the planet.
We take our responsibilities very seriously and whilst we are making great strides with waste management, we know we are not quite there yet. That’s why we are also investing in a baler that will help us recycle our cardboard, metals, and plastics in the best way possible.
Here’s how we re-purpose our waste
Feed into the grid
Leftovers aren’t wasted here, with all our restaurant food waste converted into renewable energy. In 2021, all our leftovers generated 4020.3kw hours of renewable energy – that’s enough to power the average home for 393 days!
We don’t waste a drop
Every drop of waste oil, used in our kitchens, is collected and recycled locally into Biodiesel.
WE’VE GOT A LOT OF BOTTLE
Whether it’s bottles of wine, juice or water, 100% of glass waste, generated in our restaurants, is recycled right here in Yorkshire! And every bottle we recycle equates to twenty minutes of power for a television.
Reduce
We make it our priority to be mindful about our waste, reducing wherever possible. Offering a range of packaging solutions from cardboard boxes, plant trays and even re-using bubble wrap in our gift hampers.
We are pledging to continually review our packaging options, already making the switch to compostable take away solutions across all our restaurants.
Did you know?
“We only use compostable packaging that’s made from plants for our take away food. Be it Blooms Kitchen, The Mezzanine or Grass Hoppers, we’re giving back to the planet with packaging that puts nutrients back into the soil through industrial composting.”
OUR 2023 WASTE PLANS
This year we are dedicated to reducing the impact our waste has on the environment and have mapped out a number of pledges to help achieve this, including:
| Reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible |
| Reduce volumes of incinerated waste |
| Continue to send zero waste to landfill |
| Purchase a baler |
| Bale our cardboard & plastics |
| Continue to re-use our food waste as biofuel |
| Recycle all our glass waste |
| Simplify recycling and re-educate our teams on the benefits |
| Engage with our suppliers to deliver a Circular Plastics Economy |
At the heart of all these pledges will be training for our team, and at the end of 2022, Team Tong will be waste experts and feel confident that we always consider the best environmental practises when handling our waste.
2) Increase our use of natural energy resources |
We are energy efficient
Rather than simply choosing to offset our emissions, we’re looking to invest in our future by limiting our reliance on fossil fuels in the first instance. Investment in renewable energy sources will be a large part of this, with 640 solar panels on Tong’s roof and 1200 more installed at Tingley, we are generating enough to power over 200 homes each year!
Our lake continues to act as a natural aid to reduce the stress on UK’s water supply; we are dedicated to increasing water resilience and aim to reduce our mains water usage year on year. We are well on the way to switching to renewable energy and natural resourcing, pledging to continue to improve, expand and invest in the best resources available.
Powerful Rays
Look up! Our roof at Tong has 640 solar panels that capture the sun’s energy to create electricity. We top up this natural energy source throughout the year by using only green electricity!
We Are Waterwise
Did you know we have our very own lake at Tong? This wonderful water supply allows us to harvest more than 70,000 litres of water each and every year. We put this natural water supply to very good use to irrigate some of our plants in the garden centre.
LIGHTING THE WAY
We’ve switched all our lighting to LED bulbs, not only do they use less electricity and last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs, they are designed to be 100% recyclable. What’s more, we have installed motion sensor lighting in our team facilities and offices.
3) Bring to life a calendar of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint |
driving positive changes
In 2022 our focus has been to create a robust sustainability roadmap and explore the actions we will take to be Carbon Neutral by 2026. Appointing a full time Sustainability Lead, Steph, our route to this goal has never been clearer.
At the heart of the changes we make will always be our team, our culture and our values. Here at Tong we take great responsibility for own actions, making sure we deliver on our promises! The care our team have for the environment, our community and the planet give us great confidence we will achieve our Climate and Community goals. Here are just a few of the initiatives that will help us get there.
Sustainability Committee
Through engagement, collective thinking and sustainable strategy, our Sustainability Committee will promote enhancements to operations, re-educate our teams and drive the positive changes we are making.
Our team of environmentally conscious leaders regularly come together to review our progress and create future plans. The whole team take great pride in contributing and adopting ‘sustainable thinking’ at the heart of our decision making. Already our committee have identified the need, and made plans, for waste improvements, as well as a sustainability focused week and launching a plant pot exchange to re-use those hard to recycle items.
CARBON LITERACY PROJECT
We have partnered with the Carbon Literacy Trust in order to educate our team on the costs and impacts of carbon dioxide. All our employees will be able to attend training that covers climate change, carbon footprint and how they can do their bit.
OUR PEAT POLICY
As a responsible retailer, we fully support the reduction of peat used in horticulture. We will aim to ensure that our customers are given an increasing and informed choice of sustainable and peat free gardening alternatives, as well as advice and knowledge about the use and performance of peat free growing media.
find out more ⇒ |
Love Nature
The climate emergency in Yorkshire and globally is more prevalent than ever and one way we can all enjoy helping make a change for the better is in our gardens. We actively support the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and we promote nature-based solutions that help tackle the climate crisis by protecting and restoring the nature that we all depend on.
Find Out More ⇒ |
COMMUNITY
With roots planted right here in Yorkshire, we believe in giving back to the place we call home. Each year, we will aim to raise £10,000 for our nominated charity as well as donate to local initiatives in the ways they need it most with our community ‘Kindness Pot’.
Find Out More ⇒ |
