Bridgwater firm to become world's first climate positive producer

RocketGro, based outside Cannington, has an unmatched eco-story in the horticultural industry. The business actively captures and returns carbon back in the ground, powering thousands of homes with renewable gas, and encouraging consumers to embrace greener gardening practices by creating outstanding peat- and coir-free organic growing media.

The final significant step in RocketGro’s journey is the completion of a CO2 plant at its biogas facility. This step will push the business beyond achieving net-zero carbon emissions, so that it is actually taking more carbon out of the atmosphere than it produces.

Managing Director Toby Thomas, said: “We are on a carbon capture journey: growing the crops at our farm, which we use to create our amazing products, along with renewable energy to power more than 13,000 homes – it’s all one virtuous circle!”

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that every time a gardener buys a bag of RocketGro compost, they are actively taking carbon out of the atmosphere! Retailers say they want to do more to be sustainable and we are leading the charge in greener gardening.”

The RocketGro business model includes: 6,000 acres of farmland carefully and sustainably managed without using chemical fertilisers; 25,000 tonnes of food waste processed each year, turned into biogas and fed back onto the farmland to grow more crops; and 91,000 tonnes of crops processed each year, turned into biogas and used as the core ingredient in RocketGro composts and growing media products.

The company also powers 3,300 homes by renewable green electricity every day – equating to 27,522 tonnes of carbon not being produced every year. In addition, 8,000 homes are powered by green biogas every day, equating to 180,384 tonnes of carbon not being produced per year. The bagging and bottling lines are run on 100% renewable energy produced on site.