Leading disposable packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki has been rewarded for its efforts to showcase the benefits of compostable packaging, with success at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Working in partnership with Sparsholt College Hampshire, their ‘Paper Chase’ garden has been not only been awarded Gold, but ‘The Best RHS Discovery Exhibit’ too.
Designed and created by a team of 21 Extended Diploma Horticulture students from Sparsholt College, led by lecturer Chris Bird, The Paper Chase is located in the new ‘Discovery’ area of the Great Pavilion. The garden’s five main sections portray a strong environmental message, intended to enthuse and educate everyone with the merits of sustainability, composting and waste recycling; and show a facet of paper production, subsequent use and re-use.
John Young, Huhtamaki’s UK Foodservice Sales and Marketing Director, is thrilled with the garden’s success: ‘The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is world famous, and it has been a real honour to be involved with such a prestigious event’, he said. ‘ To be recognised with a Gold award and best Discovery exhibit is a fantastic achievement – not only for sustainability, but as an incredible reward for the hard work and dedication invested by Chris and his students. Sparsholt College Hampshire’s continued success at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is wonderful, and Huhtamaki is thrilled to have been able to work in partnership with them in the creation of ‘The Paper Chase’.
‘Everyone at Huhtamaki is extremely proud of our BioWare product range, and the exhibit here at Chelsea illustrates the benefits and importance of recycling and composting, whilst perfectly showing just how we have managed to ‘close the loop’ by composting our BioWare cups. Partnering with Sparsholt College Hampshire has allowed us to show that this whole process is possible, even to the very highest standards of horticulture.”
Plants for The Paper Chase garden have been grown in compost created from the disposal of Huhtamaki’s environmentally sustainable BioWare paper cups, which have been composted at an open air facility, run by The Woodhorn Group, in a twelve week process. Elements of the garden design are drawn from the manufacturing process and supply chain of the cups, from seedling to disposal.
