Tesco to go peat-free on all UK bedding plants to help environment

The supermarket will use wood fibre and natural by-products for the range from Monday.

Head of growing Antonio Rodrigues amongst a sea of primroses at Bridge Farm Nurseries in Spalding, Lincolnshire, one of the largest growers of ornamental flowers in the UK. (Joe Giddens/ PA) (PA Archive)

A supermarket chain has said it will be the first UK retailer to go peat-free on its British-grown bedding plants in a move designed to lower its carbon footprint.

Tesco announced in March last year that it was reducing its use of the material by 95% from April 2022, and it will stop all use of peat in the range from Monday.

It said it would have made the move to a 100% peat-free range sooner, but a peat-free alternative was not available at the time.