DS Smith : Planting the seeds of biodiversity at Viana Mill

Planting the seeds of biodiversity at Viana Mill

At DS Smith, we are committed to being a responsible neighbour and contributing to our communities.

We recently reached our target of launching over 100 biodiversity projects from our sites, including Viana Mill in Portugal, who are now looking to claim the top prize at the Ponte de Lima International Garden Festival's annual competition with their biodiversity garden.

The garden is one of twelve contestants at the annual festival in Ponte de Lima, located only 10 kilometres from Viana Mill. The festival showcases gardens from across the world, emphasising the importance of implementing environmental projects in urban areas to improve the quality of life and promotes environmental education.

With support from the DS Smith Charitable Foundation, the mill has sponsored a garden named "On the edge of tomorrow", which draws attention to the fragility of ecosystems and the need for a rapid change in lifestyles to halt climate change. The thought-provoking garden is designed by landscape architects Sebastian Loder and Nina Loderova.

The Ponte de Lima International Garden Festival is a special event for our local community, and the theme of this year's festival is exceptionally meaningful: 'Gardens and Climate Change'.

Mario Amaral
Viana Mill Manager

Mario added ''We are proud to be supporting this great cause as part of our biodiversity programme and contribute to sharing knowledge about how to protect the environment around us."

This garden follows Viana Mill's recent contribution to biodiversity, inaugurating five insect hotels which were installed at the nearby Urban Ecological Park. Insect hotels offer shelter and nesting facilities to insects, particularly during winter. They have a positive impact in restoring or maintaining wild pollinator populations, enhancing biodiversity across the park.

Viana Paper Mill, in northern Portugal, is one of the most important kraft liner paper mills in Europe and has a gross production capacity of 425,000 tonnes per year.

Read more about our latest biodiversity initiatives across Europe