Pepper Wood is the home of where it all began. In Fairfield, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Carbon Capture was born in partnership with Premier and the Woodland Trust.

On the 6 December 2022, 30 of Premier’s dedicated environmental champions gave an early Christmas present back to mother nature. The small but mighty team of tree planters dug deep and persevered in relatively kind weather conditions from 10:30 to 12:30. Overall, 600 native broad leaf trees were planted in the Woodland Trust’s Pepper Wood on the brisk Tuesday morning.

Pepper Wood spans over an impressive 147 acres in the rolling Worcestershire country side near to the market town of Bromsgrove. The Woodland Trust gained possession of the community woodland in the early 1980s and ensured it remained a green sanctuary honouring its history and beauty. Pepper Wood is a formal conservation designated area, also known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is due to its high conservation value through containing an extensive variety of trees, shrubs and flowering plants which are all protected by the Trust. This remarkable woodland is home to a whole host of wildlife including woodland birds such as nuthatch, jay, marsh tits and great spotted woodpeckers and at night tawny owls. The woods also provide a valuable habitat for the rare land caddisfly and the white admiral butterfly along with a number of uncommon moths.

Pepper Wood, in all its beauty, is one of Premier’s cherished tree planting locations. This site was the seed which sparked the concept of the Carbon Capture programme back in 2008. Over time this idea grew and has branched out to become the print industry’s leading environmental programme.

The programme mitigates the CO2 emissions from the production and distribution of paper and materials purchased from Premier and gives customers and their clients the opportunity to join many major brands in doing the same. Every penny raised goes to the Woodland Trust to be directly used to plant native woodland in the UK.

The Woodland Trust have bought a plot of land extending the edge of Pepper Wood. Premier and their customers were the first group to take on the open space and begin the work of planting native trees on the newly acquired land. An impressive 600 trees were planted by the team of 30 customers on the morning of the 6 December, with many eager to continue the work. A diverse mix of people were in attendance, from first timers to seasoned professionals. Regardless, the day was a success! Connecting over a common purpose brought everyone together as a team to help build a nursey of woodland for future generations to enjoy.

“Getting out and planting trees to protect our future, is brilliant for the youth and the local community. I’m really pleased and delighted at what everyone has achieved here today, planting trees together and coming together… Everyone is demonstrating their commitment to nature and improving their sustainable development goals and it’s just amazing!” Hussein Ismail, Sustainable Business Director.

Through the Carbon Capture programme, Premier and their customers have already planted over 400,000 trees across the UK, captured 92,000 tonnes of CO2 and donated over £1.5million to the Woodland Trust since its launch in 2012.