FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
A new urban farm has been installed at Compass Group UK & Ireland’s headquarters – Compass House, Chertsey.
The UK food and support services provider has partnered with Square Mile Farms, to introduce an urban farm, bringing ultra-fresh sustainable produce to its chefs and Compass colleagues on site, further supporting its use of innovation to achieve climate net zero by 2030.
Using a clever hydroponic system, a small pump circulates nutrient rich water from a tank to each column of plants. The water trickles down, feeding the plants at their roots. The high-efficiency LED lights help the plants to grow indoors, all year round. The new farm at Chertsey HQ will be used by its chefs, who have asked initially to grow, Kale, Coriander, Tatsoi. In a month’s time, the farm will be harvested, and the chefs will use the products in their menus. Additionally, Compass colleagues will be invited to take home any leftover produce. Harvests will then take place every two weeks from then on.
By growing vertically, the farm can use a bigger surface area, allowing the urban space to be put to good use, growing up to 189 edible plants, all year round. The hydroponic systems use 90 per cent less water than some conventional growing methods and of course there are no food miles. The seedlings are farmed from Square Mile Farms’ rooftop farm in Paddington, London.
Commenting on bringing Square Mile Farms to Compass House, Pete Champain, Head of Innovation, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “We are delighted to be working with Square Mile Farms. Bringing urban farms to Chertsey, enables us to practice what we preach. By using this innovative and sustainable growing system, we can grow our own fresh produce on site. Our chefs are looking forward to the first harvest and it’s a great way of generating important conversations with our teams about sustainable food.”
Patrick Dumas, Co-founder, Square Mile Farms added: “Our mission is to empower people to make healthier and more sustainable food choices. It’s therefore a privilege to work with Compass Group, and their head office team, whose values around food align so closely with ours. We’re collaborating to truly get the team closer to their food – we can’t wait for the first harvest!”
Are you confident that your contractors and suppliers meet ethical labour standards and human rights obligations?
For many FM services, managing multiple third parties in the supply chain can be a complex challenge. And, in a sector that relies heavily on migrant workers and 65 per cent of FM services facing difficulties in sourcing workers (Q4 2022 RICS survey), exposure to exploitation and modern slavery is a very real risk. With the UK one of the biggest destinations in Europe for trafficking of workers, you need full visibility of the people you work with, so you can minimise your risks and identify which part of your supply chain is most vulnerable.
FMJ, in partnership with Alcumus, is pleased to bring together a panel of experts to discuss how to create an ethical supply chain in FM.
Taking place at 11am on Wednesday 21st of June, the webinar will discuss:
- The regulations to be aware of that are aimed at preventing human right abuses.
- How to gain greater visibility of modern slavery compliance in the supply chain by having a robust verification process in place.
- Steps to creating a compliant, ethical supply chain.
To register for the webinar click here.
