Netafim Chosen For UK Carbon Capture Project

Global irrigation leader Netafim is supplying its drip system to the first Paulownia plantation of its kind, at a 134-hectare site in Suffolk.

Specially-bred Paulownia hardwoods – usually native to warmer Asian climates – absorb up to seven times as much CO2 during their lifetime as new mixed native woodland, and can grow to eight meters in just five years.

It’s part of the UK Government’s carbon capture strategy, designed to absorb 150,000 tonnes of CO2 in its first 10 years.

John Farner, Netafim’s chief sustainability officer at Netafim, the world’s largest irrigation company, said: “We already know that our drip technology increases water and nutrient use efficiency while increasing productivity.

“Over the last 60 years we’ve been at the forefront of sustainable agriculture and we’re excited to continue in this role by both initiating and supporting projects to help reduce and capture carbon emissions.”

“The irrigation infrastructure and consultation that Netafim has delivered is key to the success of this unique project,” Nigel Couch, managing director at Carbon Plantations, the company behind the project, said, “This new hybrid variety offers huge potential benefits for biodiversity, carbon capture, and UK hardwood supply. No other tree can sequester as much CO2 as quickly as the Paulownia, and its wood is known as the aluminium of the timber industry.”