The Jiffy Group Sustainability Report & Five-Year Plan
Ever wondered if Jiffy Pellets are biodegradable?* Or what we are doing to support sustainable horticulture?
Jiffy products have always been basically environmentally friendly. Today, Jiffy is focused on building on those green qualities to be a truly sustainable company. Above all, we want to help our customers to achieve the same. How we are going about that is set out in our global sustainability strategy.
Our five-year plan for sustainability and annual reports
As part of that strategy, we want to demonstrate what we have already achieved. We also want to be more transparent about the challenges we face – and what we are doing to change things around where needed. The first Jiffy Group Sustainability Report & Five-Year Plan, published in 2021, was a major step towards making these goals a reality. This and our latest 2023 annual report can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.
The reports and plan are full of information about our sustainability strategy. They include clear information about the initiatives we are taking, the products and solutions we are developing, and where we want to be in 2025. Our strategy is aligned with multiple UN sustainable development goals and concentrates on four pillars:
- Use fewer fossil single-use plastics and polymers
- Reduce our energy, water, and CO2 footprint
- Play a part in the circular economy
- Find more sustainable raw materials
Pillar 1: Use fewer fossil single-use plastics and polymers
Many of our products are already more sustainable than you might think. And we are working hard to make them even greener. For instance, we have switched to an environmentally friendly alternative to the fossil-based plastic net on the Jiffy-7 and Jiffy-7C Pellets and Growblocks.
That means we now sell even more fully compostable growing media. The switch started in 2020 and now all standard products are converted. It’s just one of the ways we are reducing the use of fossil plastic and polymers all along our supply chain.
Pillar 2: Reduce our energy, water, and CO2 footprint
We aim to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025. To do that, we must quantify our emissions across all parts of our business. At the same time, we are making changes to start shrinking our footprint. For instance, we installed solar panels on two of our factories and one harvesting location. The results were so encouraging, we are investigating options to do the same at other locations. Elsewhere, we are sourcing clean energy externally and working hard to improve our energy efficiency.
Our five-year plan will not make us carbon neutral. We are investing in carbon offsetting to help make up some of the difference. Part of the challenge is logistics, a significant part of our business and emissions. We have already reduced our road kilometers by switching to transport by rail and/or boat where possible and are searching for additional reductions.
Pillar 3: Play a part in the circular economy
Keeping raw materials and products in use for longer will help reduce demand for natural resources as the world population continues to grow. That is why circularity is an important pillar of our sustainability program. It is something we are developing in close cooperation with customers, suppliers, industry peers, and other partners.
We are working hard to make sure all our packaging can be recycled and increase the amount of recycled plastics we use, to increase the circularity of our products. It also reduces the carbon emissions created by virgin plastics. All facilities are working to fully implemented waste recycling systems. We also aim to increase the usable life of our products through end-of-use recovery, reuse, or recycling. In the longer term, Jiffy wants to become a major player and contributor to the development of circular horticultural systems.
Pillar 4: Increase our use of sustainable raw materials
The growing media industry is grappling with a challenge: Few raw materials can match peat in terms of performance, price, and availability. We have already started transitioning much of Jiffy’s product range away from 100% peat. Almost all Jiffy products are now available in peat free or peat reduced versions. Our goal is to increase the proportion of renewable raw materials to 50% across our entire product range.
Our Innovation Team is working hard to increase the number of renewable raw materials available to us, after the successful introduction of three new woodfibres in 2022. Meanwhile, Jiffy will continue to minimize the environmental impact of its peat harvesting. At the end of 2022, 82% of our European peat was certified by Responsibly Produced Peat (RPP). We also hade our Canadian peat fields Veriflora certified by July 2023. Working with Growing Media Europe and Blonk Consulting we have supported the development of a lifecycle analysis tool to help Jiffy and other growing media producers compare the environmental impacts of different raw materials.
Get your copy of the annual reports and five-year plan
Please reach out to us with your questions and ideas around this important topic. Or read the full report to find out more. Download your copy for free now.
*Yes, Jiffy Pellets are fully biodegradable. You’ll find much more information in the report about how we can support you in your sustainable horticulture journey.