New planters help ISD bring nature to work

As part of a broader initiative to enhance our office spaces and improve our environmental impact, our Social Committee teamed up with Group Sustainability head, Joanne Swift, to transform a previously unused strip of grass beside our building into a relaxing, nature retreat. The standout feature of this collaborative project, was the brilliant efforts of students from Gloucestershire College, who repurposed our old pallets into six bespoke wooden planters, supporting responsible waste management, boosting biodiversity and enhancing staff wellbeing.

This exciting project kicked off with the ISD Social Committee’s Daffyd Brown and Kathleen van Rensburg proposing the initiative to Joy Lucas, Gloucestershire College’s carpentry lecturer, who quickly recognised the project as an opportunity to give her students valuable real-world experience in meeting with a client, forming a brief and delivering a live project. She happily paired us with promising first year student Fin Wadley who took charge of the project. He proposed a planter design that artfully incorporated our reclaimed ISD pallets, reinforced with new timber to ensure strength and durability, and soon got to work fabricating them. Throughout the build he enlisted his fellow students to assist, skillfully managing the project and liaising with the ISD team, ultimately delivering the high-quality planters at the end of June.

The next phase of the project saw a strong team-effort, with staff from across the business volunteering time out of their busy schedules to help line and fill the planters, shovelling over a tonne of compost and topsoil by hand. Colin Leighton added wooden trimming as the finishing touch. The planters are now brimming with flora, mainly flowering perennials that welcome visitors, support pollinators and allow staff to enjoy the benefits of being immersed in nature.

“It’s fantastic to see the project come to fruition” said Group Sustainability Manager Joanne Swift. “It aligns directly with our wider sustainability strategy and our commitment to being nature positive. We are looking to take more actions to support nature, and this is an important first step.”

Coldstores and Special Projects Director Adam Teague added: “The Social Committee have done an exceptional job leading this project, combining sustainability with social value by boosting our office biodiversity, supporting staff wellbeing with space for fresh air and working with the local College to give students valuable work experience. It’s a great example of our core value Spirit, showing how a group can drive meaningful change for the benefit of the wider team.”

The transformation of the outdoor space once again demonstrates how small actions, when rooted in collaboration, can make a real difference for people and planet.

Social Committee lead Kathleen van Rensburg said: “We’d had a few requests from our team asking for a space to unwind, and this felt like the perfect chance to make it happen. There’s something really uplifting about being outdoors and surrounded by nature—and even better was seeing colleagues from across the company come together to help bring it all to life.”

The finished space now functions as a welcoming, enclosed zone framed by bamboo fencing and a seating area featuring picnic benches made from recycled plastic – perfect for breaks, outdoor lunch or informal meetings. According to the UK Green Building Council’s report “Nature-based Solutions for the Climate Emergency,” access to views of nature can lead to a 23% decrease in sick leave and improved mental health—we hope our new space will bring the same positive impacts to our office teams’ health and wellbeing.

The success of the project has also sparked new ideas for expanding the space—including the prospect of a wild putting green. These new additions offer an inspiring glimpse of what’s possible when nature-friendly improvements are combined with wellbeing-focused design.