_{Friday, March 25, 2011}

The Greenery has announced seven new companies that have been awarded the Nature Counts sustainability label. The seven companies that may use the label over the next three years are Mts Boon, Pater Broersen, Duijvenstijn, Themato, Anton van Wijk, Mts Meuzelaar and Wim van Dijk. These companies are all pioneers in sustainable operations and have distinguished themselves in the areas of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, water management, the reduction of crop protection agents and employee care.

Nature Counts

Candidates can apply for a Nature Counts label twice a year. Their applications are assessed by a jury of experts who are professionally active in areas such as crop protection, health, CO₂ management and sustainable trade. The initiative selects growers that are frontrunners in sustainability, with the theme People & Planet serving as the determining factor. The criteria on which candidates are assessed include Energy Consumption, Crop Protection, Nature and Landscape, Transparency, Waste, Water and Employees. To receive the Nature Counts label, candidates must score exceptionally well on one of the themes and well on the others.

Expansion

Ten companies have now been awarded the Nature Counts label. Launched by The Greenery in 2010, the initiative highlights growers that are leading the way in the area of sustainability and it seeks to stimulate the sector to make operations greener. The initiative is garnering a reputation in the sector and ever more growers are incorporating sustainability into their operations. Customers of The Greenery have also expressed an interest in the initiative and are looking at ways of integrating it into their own sustainable range of products. Seven companies involved in different product groups have been awarded the Nature Counts label, which proves that the sector is taking up the sustainability challenge. The new Nature Counts companies include field vegetable producers, fruit producers and glasshouse vegetable producers.

The Nature Counts companies

Field vegetable producer Mts Boon aims for climate-neutral production by using solar panels and wind energy in its operations. By using renewable energy sources and animal fertilisers instead of artificial fertilisers in its cultivation process, the company has reduced its CO₂ emissions by 135,500 kg per year.

Pater Broersen cultivates varieties of lettuce in water-filled containers. Using this technique has increased the yield per hectare 12 times compared to regular cultivation methods. Since rainwater is used as much as possible in the containers and the water is in a closed circuit, the company has realised a substantial saving in water consumption and no fertilisers or crop protection agents are discharged into the soil or surface water.

The company of the Duijvenstijn brothers uses geothermal energy in cultivating round tomatoes. This technique yields a 90% energy saving and a reduction in CO₂ emissions that is equal to what 4,000 cars produce annually. The company has had its own energy expertise centre for a number of years and scores particularly well in the Employee Care category by being actively involved in work placements.

Tomato cultivator Themato is another trailblazer in the themes of energy consumption and CO₂ emissions reduction. Themato is one of the few companies that have successfully implemented the closed greenhouse system. By combining aquifer heat recovery and aquifer heat storage (aquifers are underground water reservoirs), the company has halved its energy requirement compared to similar companies.

The top fruit company of Anton van Wijk has reduced energy consumption considerably by adapting its cooling schedule and using the residual heat from the cooling system motors to heat the offices, workshops and the canteen. This has yielded a saving in gas consumption of 60%. Anton van Wijk has a 'Milieukeur' label for his apples and pears. Milieukeur labels are eco labels awarded to products whose environmental impact is lower than that of comparable products.

Wim van Wijk uses innovative techniques in crop protection, which allow him to reduce the application of crop protection agents by at least 95%. As a result, discharge into the surface water remains limited. Moreover, he has introduced a sustainable, new technique for combating weeds.. In this technique he reuses drain water from a nearby pig farm. This water contains high levels of nitrate, which burns weeds. Moreover, nitrate acts as a manure. In addition, both companies use pheromone disruption in combating the codling moth, which further reduces the need to use crop protection agents. The jury praised the integral approach to sustainability employed by both companies.

Mts Meuzelaar cultivates iceberg lettuce in a revolutionary fashion. Using GPS, the company engages in what is known as precision agriculture: tractors can be driven on the land with up to 1 cm precision. By depositing manure on only those spots where iceberg lettuce is actually planted, the company is able to reduce the amount of artificial fertiliser it uses by no less than 24%. Furthermore, the GPS system means 5% fewer crop protection agents. The partnership also realises a water saving of up to 40% by using a computer-driven sprinkler tree.

For more information regarding Nature Counts and the individual companies, please check: www.naturecounts.com

 

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