The ten commandments

Wyevale Garden Centres have followed up their 'ban' on gas patio heaters with an environmental declaration they are referring to as the 'Ten commandments' These are part of a consultation document, titled People, Plants and the Planet,

• Encourage carbon positive gardening – by stocking products that make a positive contribution
• Ensuring our supply chain benefits everyone – wherever Wyevale products come from it wants to make sure everyone in the supply chain is better off
• Rediscover the local community – especially in decisions about employment, sourcing and investment
• Connecting with the source of our food – Fresh, seasonal food grown close to home has a low environment impact.  It would be even better if customers grow their own.

• Working with nature – Every garden can harbour nature.
• Protecting endangered forests – Timber products, if correctly sourced, can provide more jobs and value to local communities.
• Towards peat-free gardening – It is time to make alternatives work.  Peat Harvesting destroys peat bogs and has a high carbon footprint.
• Using less water – Through advising customers and developing new products they can enjoy their gardens while minimising water use. Wyevale also wants to minimise use of water in the garden centres.
• Promoting personal well-being – Gardens are somewhere to remove the stresses and strains on everyday life. Helping things to grow gives a sense of achievement and the enjoyment of gardening.
• Inspiring sustainable lifestyles – Wyevale wants to use the expertise of other organisations to help drive sustainable development and inspire customers.

All good stuff and little there that most Garden Centres don't strive for these days. What's missing is any  direct reference to trying to reduce reliance on imported products from the far east - especially China. Look closely at most dry goods in UK garden centres and you see 'Made in China' on a surprising number of products. Even some well know 'British' products are in reality Chinese products with a veneer of Britishness.
I've nothing against the Chinese but I do have a problem with the pollution and social issues associated with the extraordinary growth of their industries. It seems madness to be shipping short lived products halfway round the world with all the associated fuel consumption and damage to local industries back home.
Wyevale haven't mentioned the above issues and I bet that's because they are so locked into dependence on imports from China that they can do nothing about it - at present to unilaterally try and reduce far east imports would be commercial suicide.
It would be great if there was a way to get gardeners switched on to durabilty, quality and ergonomics - many Far East imports score badly on these factors.
Any one any ideas on how to promote quality garden products?