Companies' interest in making their environmental impact transparent is growing fast. This much became clear last Thursday, March 13, during the first Tuinbouw Footprint Event (Greenhouse Footprint Event), an initiative of Greenhouse Sustainability. A full house at Op Hodenpijl was inspired by the experiences of colleagues in the sector. "Where to start? Well, just do it!"
It was the first time that the Tuinbouw Footprint Event took place, but Greenhouse Sustainability announced beforehand that it wanted to make it an annual event. That there is a real need for such a gathering was evident from the high turnout. During the afternoon, 250 participants were updated on the latest developments in the field of footprinting. With this, the attention for this topic seems greater than ever.
Henri Potze, director of Greenhouse Sustainability, reiterated: "When we started ten years ago, there wasn't a lot of interest in calculating footprinting, except for a few 'early adopters.' The tipping point was two to three years ago, when the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) came on the agenda. Since then, things have been moving fast." Potze briefly addressed current events, where the United States seems to be taking a step back in terms of climate and sustainability. "Of course, everyone is following those developments, but fortunately, everything in Europe continues as usual. So let's emphasize the positive things because we are really doing great things together here."
Not an obligation but an opportunity
Those beautiful things are taking place at Colours of Nature, Houwenplant, and Porta Nova, among others. The three floriculture companies shared their experiences during the Tuinbouw Footprint Event. Mark Zwinkels of Colors of Nature, for instance, expressed the ambition that all gerberas within this collective will be grown with geothermal heat in five years' time. Moreover, according to him, footprinting should not be perceived as an obligation, but as an opportunity. "Let's make the step from have to want to."
Porta Nova is already putting this into practice. The rose nursery decided to switch to wind energy after footprint calculations. "We did expect that switching to wind energy would ensure a reduction in terms of climate change, but what we did not see coming was that this would be a 95 percent reduction and that a similar effect would be seen in other impact categories," said Marloes Rodewijk. The company subsequently developed the FUTURA, a sustainable rose grown entirely with wind energy and marketed together with the trade and florist.
Together was also a recurring word during the event. Houwenplant was one of the 'early adopters' and started footprinting years ago. When asked where to start as a company, Marco van der Goes was clear: "Well, just do it!" At the same time, he also made an appeal to the entire industry. "We want to invest in further reducing our footprint, but we cannot do this alone. We have to take this up with the whole chain."
Floor Schamp of the Association of Floricultural Wholesalers (VGB) agreed. European laws and regulations around sustainability will have a major impact on floriculture operations in the coming years, she indicated. "Depending on what your customer considers important, they will demand more data on the product, and certain footprint data, such as insight into CO2 emissions, may even become a delivery condition. But insight into one's own footprint also offers opportunities. It is a steering mechanism to start working on sustainability yourself by addressing the biggest hotspots within your company, for instance. And that, in turn, can be cost-efficient. In addition, insight offers opportunities to differentiate yourself."
Challenging process
Developments do not stand still in the AGF sector either. To create awareness and take concrete steps to reduce environmental impact, Oxin Growers launched a pilot Environmental Footprint in collaboration with GreenlinQdata and Greenhouse Sustainability early last year. "Initially with a small number of growers, then with a larger group, and the ambition now is to have all growers connected by the end of this year," Sandra van der Veer told us. With 135 greenhouse vegetable growers, 60 fruit growers, and 35 outdoor growers, that's a big job. "By the end of 2027, we want to have a workable tool available. A challenging process, obviously, but we will definitely succeed."
How those tools will be developed and what is already available within the chain was explained by Rick van der Linden of Greenhouse Sustainability. In doing so, the aim is to develop a suitable footprint tool for everyone, he indicated, within horticulture and beyond.
Keynote speaker Niels van den Beucken, director at Arte Groep, provided a unique perspective. The company supplies worktops and materials for kitchens, doing so with attention to the environment and the welfare of all people involved in production. Van den Beucken revealed that the focus on sustainability also creates a strong connection with the company's employees. "By involving them, it also becomes their passion, and they are proud of the company. By doing so, we ensure that sustainability is embedded in our DNA."
As mentioned, the ambition is to establish an annual footprint event for the horticulture sector. "We have kicked off, partly because of our 10-year anniversary. Next year in April, we want to organize the second edition. But this does not have to remain our party. Above all, let's engage with each other, so that we can further shape the Tuinbouw Footprint Event together in the coming years into a lasting, valuable event for the entire chain," Henri Potze said.
For more information:
Greenhouse Sustainability
info@greenhouse-sustainability.com
www.greenhouse-sustainability.com