Smart Garden Products

There is increasing expectation and demand from consumers that companies take their environmental responsibilities more seriously. Smart Garden Products has been taking great strides in reducing Single Use Plastics (SUPs) wherever possible in both products and packaging, without compromising the actual product proposition. Three years ago its entire range of top-selling Carry Packs was re-designed using 100% cardboard and the removal of all plastic packaging, with a resultant saving of over 12 tons of single-use plastics each year.

When Smart Garden started working on a new range of Garden Sundries last year under a new brand called Useful, a key driver was to try and eliminate all single use plastic from its packaging and instead use recyclable materials. This provided a clear point of difference to the market alternatives which largely use plastic packaging for similar items, while the use of sustainable packaging has not come at the price of clear customer communication.

Therefore Smart Garden were delighted to be judged Winners in the Best Sustainable Product Packaging Award for their Useful range at the recent GIMA Awards. The judges noted that the range was “the first range to make the move to cardboard in the sundries market, in doing so they have made the product look new and interesting”.

The title of ‘Category Sustainability Champion’ in Outdoor Leisure was also awarded to the contemporary Neptune Alfresco Rug, which is made from 100% recycled materials and wrapped with recyclable labels - a product that was also a finalist in the Outdoor Leisure category. The Alfresco range blends attractive design with practicality whilst maintaining environmental values, since these rugs have been transformed from waste plastic such as water bottles, medicine containers, buckets and tubs into stylish and practical rugs which can be used both inside and outside. They have proved to be high volume sellers as a result.

Smart Garden Products was also runner-up for GCA Supplier of the Year, recognised by the judges for ‘another incredible year of service and innovation’. Rest assured that in the coming years there will be even more innovation and outstanding customer service from the Smart team, while a continued commitment to core environmental values remains one of the most important goals for the company.