Sustainability
We are a family business with sustainability at the heart, supporting local small charities
LOCALLY-SOURCED
Our supplier, based in Kent, has over 60 years experience growing Christmas Trees. "From small beginnings as a by-product of estate forestry, we are now dedicated specialist growers and keen members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA)."
The trees are grown in the Weald of Kent, with dedicated staff and an expert foreman, who tend to many aces of trees of varying size, species and ages. Each tree is individually shaped using 3 different hand-pruning techniques according to the species requirements.
Growing approximately 30cm/1ft per annum once an established seedling, they are a wildlife haven, and are fenced off from rabbits and badgers to avoid damage to the tres.
Harvesting is left as late as possible. Typically for Festive Illuminations trees are cut sometimes as little as the day before a delivery to ensure they are as fresh as possible.
They are delivered to us on a large cattle lorry, ensuring they are not compacted down squashed into a pallet unit.
BIO NETTING
Our supplier now uses VacuBioNet to wrap the Christmas trees once cut. This is a vegetable starch compostable replacement for the widely used hydrocarbon/oil-based tree netting.
“VacuBioNet is entirely derived from plant based starch polylactic acid, PLA, and not petrochemicals, typically from corn, sugar cane and sugar beet pulp. You may be amused to know that there is the distinct smell of 'popcorn' associated with the pallets of VacuBioNet in our store. As it is plant based and compostable, it has a reduced shelf life, which would currently appear to be around 24 months.”
RECYCLING
Once the trees are taken back down in the New Year, they are stripped of all lights and fixings. They are chipped and spread back into the earth around the farm where HQ is based.
LOCAL STAFF
Not only are we a family-run business, our HQ is 2 minutes from our main office at home.
We work with a team of self-employed locals.