Buzzing for a better tomorrow
At TST Sweden we want to contribute to a better world in every way that we can. ‘Saving lives’ is our motto and promise to our customers and their families, and for us, this goes way beyond creating lifesaving PPE. We aim to through both big and small actions make the world just a little better, from making our production as sustainable as possible to serving organic fairtrade coffee in our staff room. A new way to contribute to a more sustainable future we’ve found, quite literally, right outside our window…
In Sweden, a third of all our wild bees are rapidly going extinct and similar patterns can be seen worldwide. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, and other insects are vital for our very existence as more than 75 percent of the world’s crops rely fully or partially on insect pollination. The main factor for the decline in pollinators the world is now facing is a lack of food as changes in agriculture over a long period have led to the loss of large areas of meadows, the main habitat for many pollinators. Just over the past hundred years, 99% of all Swedish meadows have disappeared and this is now threatening the lives of pollinators and thus endangering food production.
Like most other companies our premises have for a long time been surrounded by a well-kept lawn. While it looks very neat and polished, we’ve recently learned that a grass lawn can be just as bad for pollinators as asphalt. Based on this and wanting to do our bit to support pollinators we started in the fall of 2023 the journey to turn our lawn into an 1 150 m2 wildflower meadow. To achieve this, we teamed up with our landlord and started the project to transform the flat lawn into a lively, flowering meadow.
An expert in the field helped us choose, and later plant, an array of local meadow flowers, trees, bushes, perennials, and thousands of leek bulbs. We also added stones and small hills to create a livelier, more diverse, and natural landscape. With this, we hope that bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and other pollinators can flourish here from early spring long into fall providing them with both food and habitat. Now we eagerly await the changing seasons, anticipating spring to arrive so we can watch our new meadow flourish and the pollinators it will attract.
“WE ARE CONVINCED THAT TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE”
In the grand scheme of things, our wild meadow may only make a small impact on a vast world. Still, we hope that our strategic location with many passersby can inspire companies in our vicinity to do the same. Maybe this article might even create some buzz and inspire you, our customers, located across the globe to create your very own meadows for pollinators. We are convinced that together, we can make a big difference.