In the coming years, European legislation will become increasingly specific in the field of sustainability. For example, by 2027, all EU member states must achieve 'good condition' for surface and groundwater. Lumiforte has the ambition to play a pioneering role in the field of sustainability and therefore started a transition of their portfolio years ago. Bart Hergaarden, Commercial Manager, and Ruben Lensing, Sales Manager Benelux & UK, share more.
Bart Hergaarden and Ruben Lensing, Lumiforte
Lower pH
To fulfil Lumiforte's sustainable ambition, a new generation of horticultural coatings has been developed. But cleaning products are also under development. Bart gives an example of ReduClean: "This cleaner is already biodegradable and we have now also developed a variant of ReduClean that meets the Ecocert standard. This is the quality mark of an independent organization that shows that cleaning products and cleaning products are made from naturally derived ingredients. It is a first step on the way to circular business operations. There are also no more restrictions regarding transport and storage, which contributes to sustainability. "
Environmental standards
As mentioned in the introduction, European legislation will set increasingly specific standards for sustainability. "We always want to be at the forefront of making our products more sustainable," says Ruben. "In doing so, we focus on unburdening our end users, the horticultural companies, but also the professional network of contractor and spraying companies and distributors with whom we work very closely."
In Denmark, the sector is a bit ahead of the Netherlands, says Bart. "Since this year, they have already switched 100% to the new ReduClean Ecocert cleaner, because of the local requirements. That has to do with stricter municipal legislation there." You see this development from north to south more often, Ruben adds. "Usually the countries in Scandinavia have a leading position, and then that slowly drops down in Europe."
Controlling the greenhouse
It's not just sustainability that plays a role in the choice of a coating. Control over the greenhouse climate and business operations is also an important consideration for growers. Bart explains how Lumiforte responds to this. "You can remove or clean the applied ReduSystems products whenever you want. Some coatings wear out on their own, but in the Netherlands people want more control. Here they say: I want to have my greenhouse clean this week, all the light back in."
This is because a lot of work is done in the Netherlands with automation, sensors and climate computers. "Measurements are becoming more and more accurate, and decisions are made and steered on the basis of that." Especially in vegetable cultivation, Ruben observes, it is strict in this respect. "There is a little more flexibility in the flowers, but as soon as the days start to get shorter, some vegetable growers are already inclined to remove the coating. We keep August 15 as the turning point in the year, after this date the days get shorter and the sun position gets lower. This is the time when you, as a horticulturist, need to think about the timing of coating removal. Of course, the outdoor climate also plays a role. This year we had a wet spring, so it started more slowly, but we are still seeing warm days." With the cleaners, growers have a tool in their hands to remove the coating whenever they want, which allows them to directly influence the greenhouse climate.
The importance of cleaning
Bart and Ruben also discuss the importance of cleaning: "Cleaning is very important because the days are getting shorter and growers need all the available sunlight in the autumn to get the most out of their crop. It is not for nothing that people used to say "1% light costs 1% production". Of course, this applies to the timely removal of shading agents, but certainly also to greenhouses with, for example, green deposits or other organic pollution." In addition, sunlight is free. The more optimal you use sunlight, the more energy you save on artificial light. "And a clean greenhouse roof is very important in preparation for the application of other products such as Anti Reflect coatings to get even more light into the greenhouse, or of course a new shading agent such as ReduSol in early spring. In this way, a horticultural entrepreneur remains in control of light and heat all year round in order to achieve optimal results."
A full-fledged concept
For that cleaning, Lumiforte advises to make the combination with a shading agent and the corresponding cleaner from the same company. "It's a total system concept. As a result, we can guarantee the grower that, if applied correctly, they will meet the existing environmental requirements if they use ReduSystems or Sudlac," Ruben explains. "That's important, especially as water quality is looked at more critically." Bart sees that too. "During the development of our products, sustainability is the leading position. We know exactly how our products behave and continuously conduct research to optimise them. Our company has invested heavily in R&D to meet our own sustainability goals. And the horticultural entrepreneur also benefits from that! "
New technology
In addition to the sustainability drive, Lumiforte is also working on other product developments. Bart: "In the coming years, we will see more and more drones flying above greenhouses for the application of shading agents or cleaning the greenhouse roof, and we are adapting our products accordingly." Lumiforte also wants to delve further into the influence of coatings on the greenhouse roof on the climate control inside. "We also want to include that in the analyses that come out of the climate computer. In the coming years, we will increasingly try to include the impact of a coating in those models. All with the aim of helping the grower to do business as optimally as possible."
For more information:
Bart Hergaarden 
Lumiforte
Tel: +31 (0)13 507 53 99
[email protected]
www.lumiforte.com