Ethical retailer of the week: Albert Bartlett

Albert Bartlett is a family firm that has been growing potatoes for over 60 years and has a strong record in sustainability and ethical business practices.

The firm was formed in the 1960s in Airdrie, Scotland, and rapidly expanded first within the UK and later abroad to the Netherlands, France and the US.

Albert Bartlett protects the wildlife and insects on its farms, in order to minimise the use of pesticides. It practices a 5-6 year rotation to keep the soil healthy and does not use preservatives to store potatoes.

The firm also promotes energy efficiency, uses a large amount of rainwater for its crops, recycles and plants trees to promote biodiversity on its production sites.

Albert Bartlett has won numerous awards, including the most recent CSR Excellence award at the FPC Fresh Awards, the Environmental Sustainability from the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards and Commitment to the Environment at the Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland Awards (VIBES).

Commenting on the recent 2014 Fresh CSR Award sponsored by Morrisons, Russell White of Albert Bartlett said, “Albert Bartlett is delighted to have won this prestigious award which reaffirms our total commitment to corporate social responsibility. It’s fantastic to receive recognition for the efforts of our team, and we will continue to do all we can to promote responsible food production while protecting the environment for future generations.”

It won the awards for its “total commitment to environmental issues across the whole of the business”, commented Nigel Jenney, CEO of the Fresh Produce Consortium.

www.albertbartlett.com

Further reading:

Ethical retailer of the week: Jāsön

Ethical retailer of the week: Pachamama Knitwear

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Ethical retailer of the week: Doves Farm

Ethical retailer of the week: WeWOOD