Hartley Botanic Sustainability
Our Commitment to Sustainability
As a renowned manufacturer of premium Glasshouses and Greenhouses, Hartley Botanic is committed to driving positive environmental practices and maintaining the highest standards of ethical business conduct. Our impact extends well beyond our manufacturing facilities, touching the lives of our colleagues, customers, and local communities where we operate.
People: Our Foundation for Success
Our Culture
There is a strong ethos of creativity and loyalty at Hartley Botanic. Across the UK and US more than 140 colleagues are employed, with a combined service of more than 750 years.
20% of our workforce has 10 or more years’ service with the company, and many colleagues have been with Hartley for more than 20 years, with innovation a core value since the business was founded in 1938. Our purpose is summed up in our brand crest — Nulli Secundus — Our product is second to none!
Locally in the UK, around two-thirds of our workforce live within 5 miles of our factory in Greenfield, Saddleworth, creating a true family feel where people want to stay.
Colleague Wellbeing and Safety
The health and safety of our colleagues is paramount. We operate under strict Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) policies to ensure a safe working environment for all colleagues and visitors, whilst supporting our team’s professional development and career progression opportunities.
We have adopted Mental Health First Aiders, award additional annual leave for employment service, provide annual bonuses for loyalty and performance, with base pay above the national minimum wage. Our low employee turnover rate reflects our success in creating a workplace where people want to build their careers.
Diversity and Inclusion
At Hartley Botanic, we recognise that inclusivity is vital to our success. We work hard to ensure that every colleague, regardless of age, gender, background, religion or race, is valued and encouraged to fulfil their potential.
Ethical Trading Standards
As a UK-based manufacturer sourcing primarily from domestic suppliers, we maintain direct oversight of our supply chain and support local businesses. This approach reduces transportation emissions, supports the domestic economy, and helps us to ensure the highest standards of ethics and respect for workers’ rights throughout our supply chain, while maintaining long-term relationships with our suppliers.
Community Support
We’re proud partners with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the world’s leading garden charity founded in 1804. We also support local sports teams through sponsorship, contribute to several local charities, and sponsor local community events such as Whitt Friday, a tradition dating back to 1884.
Product: Our Four Product Pillars – Handmade with Pride
We source our products responsibly, working closely with our suppliers to ensure only the highest possible standards.
Designed for Life
Our aluminium Glasshouse and Greenhouse collections span a wonderful range of styles and eras, from traditional to contemporary, yet each piece carries our signature Hartley aesthetic.
Renowned for timeless design that transcends fleeting trends, our products are designed for longevity. This ensures our structures remain in active use for decades, maximising their environmental value, offering long-lasting enjoyment and providing an exceptional return on investment for our customers.
Quality & Durability
Hartley Botanic take great pride in our heritage and remains firm to our founding commitment to create the finest Glasshouses and Greenhouses money can buy. We carefully design each and every product to stand the test of time and are confident your chosen model will last a lifetime.
That’s why we offer a 30-year lifetime guarantee, covering both the structure and installation, and giving you complete peace of mind that with Hartley, you’re investing in the best.
We also offer a full ‘de-installation’ and ‘re-installation’ service for customers who are moving home but want to take their Hartley with them, further extending product lifecycles and reducing waste. We know of Hartley structures still fully used by customers, including ourselves, that are more than 50 years old.
Sustainable Materials
Our structures are constructed primarily from aluminium and glass, materials that are inherently sustainable and readily recyclable.
Our aluminium is procured from a UK manufacturer, who holds ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification, and all aluminium waste is recycled back into the mills to be re-smelted and re-purposed. Our glass is all UK-manufactured and sourced from a UK supplier; all glass waste is crushed and returned to source for re-purpose and re-use.
Manufacturing Excellence
Within a ‘handmade working environment’, we adhere to best practice methodologies and ensure the highest standards of quality, safety, and performance across all products. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our precision craftsmanship, rigorous quality control processes, and continuous improvement in design and manufacturing efficiency.
Every Hartley Botanic Glasshouse and Greenhouse is handmade in England, each a labour of love. A time-honoured celebration of expert craftsmanship, the very finest materials and matchless attention to detail, that together create the ultimate in durability, safety and beauty.
And there is so much more to a Hartley than will ever meet the eye. You won’t see the years of hard-won knowledge passed from generation to generation. The customer conversations. The incomparable care. The consideration. The decades of continual refinements, finessing and fine-tuning. When you buy a Hartley Glasshouse or Greenhouse, you won’t see any of that. But you will feel it.
Environmental Stewardship
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
We continue to take action to reduce our carbon footprint. Recent initiatives include reducing business travel, increased use of video conferencing internally and for some customer ‘virtual visits’, and improving energy efficiency in our buildings.
Additionally, better scheduling to reduce customer delivery mileage, efficient consolidation of all exports, significant investment in our powder coating operation including a new, more energy efficient ‘track’, oven upgrades, replacement of our internal roof, including insulation and replacement of all factory lighting to a full LED, creating a longer lifespan and lower energy consumption.
Waste Reduction and Recycling
​​Hartley Botanic works with several waste management partners, who in turn, recycle all of our scrap aluminium, glass, packaging materials, and waste cardboard. We constantly look to further reduce any waste we send to landfill, minimise the use of paper and re-use or recycle packaging.
Our glass arrives on wooden A-frames, which are returned for continuous reuse, powder arrives in recyclable paper boxes, and our protective foam is made from 100% recycled materials. After each installation, we ensure all packaging materials are collected by our recycling partner directly from the customer’s address.
Innovation and Development
We continuously invest in research and development to enhance the sustainability and performance of our products. Our innovation efforts focus on improving energy efficiency and extending product lifecycles. We actively collaborate with suppliers and industry partners to identify emerging technologies and best practices that can further reduce our environmental footprint.
Governance: Accountability and Transparency
ESG Oversight
Our commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance excellence is overseen at the highest levels of our organisation. Regular reviews ensure our ESG policies remain current and effective, with clear accountability for delivering on our sustainability commitments.
Stakeholder Engagement
We maintain open dialogue with our stakeholders and encourage feedback and suggestions both internally and externally. Their feedback will directly inform our ESG strategy and helps us identify new opportunities for improvement.
Transparency and Reporting
We believe in transparent communication about our sustainability journey. This policy will be publicly available, and we are committed to annual reporting on our progress, challenges, and future goals.
Continuous Improvement: An Ongoing Commitment
We recognise that sustainability is an ongoing journey. Through our governance framework, we will regularly review and update our practices, seeking new opportunities to enhance our environmental performance, support our people, and strengthen our links with our local communities. We welcome feedback from our stakeholders as we work together toward a more sustainable future, using this input to drive continuous innovation and improvement across all aspects of our business.
This ESG Policy reflects our commitment to responsible business practices and will be reviewed annually to ensure we continue to meet the highest standards of environmental, social, and governance excellence.