Where do shipping containers go to die?

What will become of the world’s estimated 20 million shipping containers? Many spend their lives ferrying items from China to Europe and beyond to fuel our consumer lifestyles – their return journeys frequently carrying more than a third of the waste plastic and paper collected by British local authorities, supermarkets and businesses for recycling 8,000 miles away in China. Luckily, when they’ve finished their life at sea many retire to dry land to lead an altogether more environmentally friendly existence.

For example, some shipping containers are destined to become farms. Local Roots uses reconditioned shipping containers to house hydroponic farms that cultivate lettuce, strawberries, or kale.

According to co-founder Dan Kuenzi, his shipping containers farms grow far more produce than any other indoor farming solution on the market.

The 40-foot shipping containers grow as much fruit and vegetables as could be cultivated in five acres of conventional farm land, and all year round. Crucially, the container farms use 97 per cent less water than a farm producing an equivalent harvest.

Tread softly with ethical insurance from the ETA

The ETA has been voted ethical in Britain in 2017. Beating household-name insurance companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, we earned an ethical company index score of 89 – earning us joint-first place with Naturesave.

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty seven years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

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