HOLSTEIN FLOWERS INVESTS IN SUSTAINABILITY

Holstein Flowers grow gerberas with respect for people and nature. Sustainability is therefore an essential part of our business strategy. We have been pursuing an active environmental policy for years. This makes us one of the cleanest gerbera growers in the world.

Biological

Not only people love gerberas. Harmful insects also find our colorful flowers attractive. To protect the gerberas against this, we use biological crop protection where possible. We continuously monitor whether there are no pests and diseases in the crop. If this is the case, we will fight it with natural enemies as much as possible. This process requires a lot of expertise. That is why we have a fulltime specialist that focuses on integrated crop protection.

Reusing water

Our gerbera plants receive water and fertilizers several times a day. The plants do not use all the water we offer. Via the drainage gutters this water goes back to our water room where we disinfect this 'drain water' with UV radiation. The next day this water goes back to the plants, after which the whole process starts all over again. In this way we recycle all our water, so that the environment is not burdened with the emission of fertilizers.

Solar panels

We process our gerberas as much as possible with green energy using solar panels. In total, almost 1800 solar panels have been installed at both our locations. On a sunny day, these panels produce 3200 kilowatts, enough to drive a Tesla 16,000 km. Watch the video about our solar panels.

Geothermal heat

Holstein Flowers is one of the 49 Westland companies participating in the Trias Westland geothermal project. The project aims to make geothermal energy available to as many greenhouses in the Westland region as possible. With geothermal heat we can warm our greenhouses sustainably and grow in an energy-efficient way. Watch the video below for more information about geothermal heat from Trias Westland.

LED lighting

We light our gerberas with sustainable LED lighting. With LED we ensure that we do not create excess heat. In addition, in the dark months, when we fully light our flowers, we need to ventilate less heat and CO2. It is the most sustainable way of lighting.

Certificates

We are certified according to MPS, MPS A, MPS GAP Qualified and GRASP. Holstein Flowers is also a member of Sedex. This international organization focuses on sustainability, subdivided into four focus areas: labour standards, health and safety, environment and business ethics. In addition, Holstein Flowers meets the objectives of the FSI (Floriculture Sustainability Initiative) label. FSI is an initiative for sustainability in the international floricultural sector. The aim is for 90% of the flowers and plants produced or traded by FSI members to be grown sustainably by 2020. Holstein Flowers already meets this certification.

Next generation growing

Energy-efficient cultivation and at the same time achieving optimum production. That is Next Generation Growing. For this we use physical knowledge to optimally control cultivation in the areas of, for example, temperature, moisture, CO2 dosing, light and screens. Next generation Growing ensures that the climate in the greenhouse remains as stable as possible and that hardly any energy is lost. It also fits into our energy-neutral cultivation strategy.

SEPARATING WASTE

We separate our waste streams where possible. From green waste, paper and cardboard to plastics and residual waste. We have also replaced our plastic cups and stirrers with recyclable coffee cups and FSC materials. These are then disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. In this way we try to be as sustainable as possible in all parts of our company, from greenhouse to canteen.