In the wake of the National Equine Show’s most highly attended year yet, we reflect on the overwhelmingly positive response to the first ever exhibitor environmental sustainability award.
The award was presented by White Griffin, specialists in environmental sustainability for the equestrian industry. Upon reviewing the award entries, White Griffin highlighted the notable shift taking place among suppliers in the equine industry, as they embrace innovative approaches to addressing sustainability.
This could not be better demonstrated than by the award winners, Westgate Labs who has tackled the war on plastics head on by transitioning to plant-based, compostable sample pots, and compostable or reusable packaging. They also recognise the importance of biodiversity, firstly by the very nature of their work around parasite control and approach to worming, but also through their creation of a 135-acre rewilding project, Fen Letch Nature Reserve. You can read more about the winners HERE.
A special mention was also given on the day to Equipt, a marketplace app for pre-loved equestrian and country clothing and equipment. The global fast-fashion industry is responsible for a significant amount of global greenhouse emissions and a leading cause of biodiversity loss, waste and pollution. Equipt addresses this issue by providing a go-to app for buying and selling second hand equestrian items, promoting circularity and affordability of durable, high-quality items and clothes.
Across the many award entries received there were plenty of examples of companies seeking to address one, or several environmental issues. These range from plastic-free, refillable and water-saving grooming products from The Solid Bar Company, Honest Riders, and See Change Now, to environmentally conscious materials such as the recycled cotton linked with tiger conservation projects, used in HUSK’s jumpers. HUSK also speak to the ever-growing waste problem, by using fabric offcuts for their horse boots, which is otherwise destined to be thrown away. Reducing waste is also the focus of many equestrian bedding companies, with Unibed’s chopped straw bedding a by-product of farming, Best Animal Bedding using recycled cardboard, and Sorbeo Bedding using the leftover wood from mills, meaning nothing is wasted.
The submissions from the bedding and feed companies highlighted just how important caring for the natural environment is to them, due to the close relationship between nature and the raw materials in their products. This is certainly true for Burlybed, a company founded on the eco-friendly, self-sustainable miscanthus crop, grown organically and used in the majority of their bedding products. Their farm is also powered by renewable energy, something they have in common with fellow miscanthus bedding provider, Ethos, which get over 80% of their electricity from biomass boilers and solar panels on site. Crafty Ponies proudly talk about getting the most out of the wind turbine on their site, which has been installed for over 9 years!
With the UK now ranked one of the most biodiverse depleted counties in the world, we must truly celebrate businesses that are trying to change this. Athena Herd Foundation prioritises land management and biodiversity on site by soil testing, planting wildflowers, installing owl boxes and even exploring how to use seaweed to aerate their ground! Red Horse Products has also restored hedging, planted trees and grown wildflowers on their farm, and source their honey from a supplier that is part of a long-term research programme on bee health.
The variety of inspiring sustainability stories from the show’s exhibitors was remarkable, with only a glimpse of them highlighted here. The equestrian community holds incredible potential to drive meaningful change, having already come a long way in a short time – a legacy our horses and future generations of equestrians will thank us for.
White Griffin have been supporting companies with transitioning to more sustainable and responsible ways of operating and communicating across the equine sector for 4 years, and Director Ruth Dancer said “to see the sheer volume of high-quality entries for this award reflects the real change now happening in our sector. We should be proud of the accomplishments of these businesses, and we hope that they inspire other companies to begin their own journey to becoming a positive influence on the planet.