Lidl Scotland
2022 marked a milestone for JBB Knotweed Solutions!
We were contracted by Lidl, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, to carry out full invasive weed surveys on all of their Scottish stores. Rather than wait until a problem arose, Lidl took the proactive approach to understand and take action to reduce their exposure to the risks associated with invasive species.
So… why is understanding your business’s exposure to the risks associated with invasive plants important?
There are a number of reasons!
Next are the financial drivers, which are again compelling. Japanese Knotweed grows fast and is capable of growing at rates in excess of 10cm per day in summer months. Controlling and/or removing invasive species can be a time consuming and expensive process, so the longer a problem is left without action, the worse (and more expensive) it will be to deal with.
On their website, The Scottish government estimated that invasive non-native species may cost up to £2 billion each year across Great Britain, which might be as much as £200 million in Scotland alone. So some pretty big numbers……
For example, if your business knowingly or unknowingly has Giant Hogweed growing on your land, the risk to your staff and to members of the general public could be significant. Every year we receive calls from people who have been badly burned by what is undoubtably one of the UK’s most dangerous plants.
So, what were the results?
What does this mean?
Lidl were able to proactively manage the issue that was otherwise silently developing on their properties across Scotland and we were able to recommend and implement management plans to address all affected sites. Non-Native Invasive Species such as Japanese Knotweed often only hit the headlines when there is a problem or dispute. It has been fantastic to work with a leading UK brand who clearly care about their legal, financial, and moral duties to the environment. JBB Knotweed Solutions have been able to support Lidl to take what normally only attracts negative press and use it to positively set the example for others.