Huhtamaki UK sponsors Sparsholt College Chelsea Flower Show entry
Huhtamaki UK has announced its sponsorship of Sparsholt College Hampshire's 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden entry.
The themed garden with a strong environmental message has been created using Huhtamaki's sustainable BioWare foodservice packaging range, with the manufacturing process and green credentials inspiring the design and construction.
Plants for the garden have been grown in compost created from the disposal of BioWare paper cups that have been composted at an open air composting facility at the college in a 12-week process. Elements of the garden design are drawn from the manufacturing process and supply chain of the cups from seedling to disposal. Both the BioWare range and compost will have starring roles at the show in May.
Chris Bird, horticulture leader at Sparsholt, explained: "We are already very environmentally aware and conscientious here at Sparsholt, but through this new partnership with Huhtamaki, our horticulture students have seen how global packaging companies are also playing a significant role in designing and manufacturing future friendly products and disposal."
Since December, all hot drinks sold in the college restaurant and bar have been in BioWare paper cups and then collected and taken off site for composting by local specialists The Woodhorn Group.
The Woodhorn Group shredded the paper cups and mixed them with green and vegetation waste. Following sanitisation and stabilisation tests final assessments have ensured the compost reached and passed PAS100 certification, the industry standard. The compost will be used to dress the completed garden and all the plants used for the display are to be grown in it, thereby completing the circle.
John Young, UK foodservice sales and marketing director at Huhtamaki, said: "It is a real honour to be involved in such a prestigious event as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This project is a fantastic way to illustrate the benefits and importance of recycling and composting and shows how we have managed to ‘close the loop'".
Sparsholt College Hampshire has a long history of RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal success achieving five gold medals, three silver-gilt medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals since 1998.
