Giving Back to the Countryside: A Second Life for Purdey’s Iconic Red Paper Cartridges

Every year, thousands of spent shotgun cartridges—both paper and plastic—find their way into landfills. While the recycling of plastic cartridges has made strides thanks to modern commercial waste systems, paper-cased cartridges have often been left behind. Smaller in market share and lacking commercial value for recyclers, these paper cases have long been overlooked.

But change is in the air.

James Purdey & Sons, part of Richemont Group, collaborated with Natural Shoots, an innovative mission-led British company that reimagines waste and enables habitat recovery.

To coincide with this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, Natural Shoots created a limited run of upcycled red paper cartridges—each one filled with a fully traceable native meadow flowers seed mix. These beautifully remanufactured cartridges were gifted to visitors at Purdey’s Mayfair boutique, providing a tangible way to support biodiversity and native habitat restoration.

Thanks to Natural Shoots' innovative upcycling network, spent Purdey cases were methodically diverted from landfill and stored ready for re-use. The next step? Giving them a second life, filled not with shot, but with fully traceable UK-native wildflower seed mix that can be planted in pots, patios, orchards, and gardens. Annual wildflower seeds, perennial seeds, and yellow rattle are all present in the specially selected mix.

What was once a single-use product has been reborn with purpose and meaning. A symbol of heritage is now a tool for regeneration. Each cartouche helps grow up to a square meter of new wildflower meadow habitat.

This initiative isn’t just a nod to sustainability—it’s a powerful statement about what’s possible when legacy brands and mission-driven innovators come together. We’re proud to be part of this story. And even prouder to have invented it.