“If everyone boycotted peat, it would make a substantial and lasting contribution to slowing global warming – Britain’s peat bogs sequester as much carbon as the rainforest, as well as being a unique habitat with an invaluable ecosystem”, said the gardener, broadcaster and writer Monty Don.
“This means not using peat-based potting compost and also not buying plants grown in peat. The knock-on effect would be to force the horticultural trade to find alternatives, which they have been shamefully slow to do”, he added.
According to Weekend, Waitrose has brought forward its plans to stop selling peat-based compost. Since 2022, the supermarket has only sold peat-free alternatives to encourage customers to adopt sustainable gardening practices.
In the article, Sara Booth-Card, the Wildlife Trust peatland campaigner concurred with Don on the vital role of the peatlands in the fight against climate change and highlighted the Trust’s disappointment in the government for permitting the professional use of peat until 2030. The Trust added that the peatlands not only absorb carbon effectively, but also help to prevent floods as bog mosses are capable of absorbing 20 times their weight in water.
Waitrose Weekend is the free, weekly newsprint title distributed in Waitrose supermarkets and to online shoppers, featuring news, recipes, interviews and lifestyle content. According to the supermarket chain, the title has a weekly circulation of 415,000 and an additional 130,000 online readers. Waitrose has 329 shops in the UK, with monthly website visits amounting to 5+ million.