Decorum and MPS signed an agreement last month with which the companies will enter into a long-term partnership. Further sustainability of the products that Decorum offers is at the top of the company’s priority list. That is why the company intends that the 54 companies that are members of Decorum will obtain the MPS-GAP and MPS-SQ certificate in addition to MPS-ABC. MPS and Decorum have also started a pilot of the HortiFootprint.
Decorum and MPS sign an agreement in which long-term cooperation is entered into.
Some growers, especially those who carry Decorum’s sustainable brand Feel Green, are also MPS-ProductProof participants. “Our customers are increasingly demanding in terms of sustainability. We can be expected to lead the way from a quality brand such as Decorum. Customers must be able to buy products from Decorum blindly, knowing that quality, certifications and sustainability are in order”, says Stef de Jong, Manager Association Affairs at Decorum. “Our ambition is to keep the CO2 footprint of our members as low as possible.”
Exciting
So that the growers affiliated with Decorum can learn from each other and become more sustainable, MPS also shares data with Decorum, after permission from the grower, about the use of crop protection agents, fertilisers and energy. A total of five floriculture companies affiliated with Decorum have also started developing the HortiFootprint, which measures the CO2 footprint, of horticultural products.
This so-called “HortiFootprint” was developed by a consortium of companies in the horticultural sector, including MPS. It shows the impact the production of a horticultural product has on the environment, from cutting to end product. “Our first impression of the available data is that we can clearly see per company where profit can still be made. For example, we are already seeing a clear difference in score between growers who do or do not have solar panels”, says De Jong. Charl Goossens, owner of Gova Laurierkwekerij (Laurel Nursery), is affiliated with Decorum and one of the five growers where a CO2 footprint is carried out on the company. “It is quite exciting, I am very curious what the scores will be.”
Entire life cycle
Charl Goossens, owner of Gova Laurierkwekerij (Laurel Nursery), and affiliated with Decorum as a company.
MPS is working with other parties in the horticultural sector on an internationally accepted method for horticulture to calculate the environmental impact of plants and flowers. In addition to the use of crop protection agents, fertilisers and energy, land use, packaging and CO2 emissions are also important themes in the HortiFootprint. In total, the calculation method contains sixteen environmental impact categories and provides an overview of the entire life cycle.
“Together with LetsGrow and Blonk Consultants, we have developed a software tool based on the HortiFootprint calculation rules. We are testing this tool with the five Decorum growers. In this pilot we focus on the factors that influence climate change”, says Martine Holtkamp, Product Development Manager at MPS. “I am pleased that a group of progressive companies is cooperating. This allows us to further develop the calculation method.”
Step-by-step
If the pilot with Decorum is successful, MPS wants to expand the software tool step by step, from a CO2 footprint to an environmental footprint in which the entire life cycle of a product is mapped. Goossens sees a future in this. “It is not good to wait for things to become mandatory. I also think it is important to be at the forefront of sustainability and in the end it will be a license to produce anyway. You can no longer ignore it. Consumers want transparency about how their plant or flower is produced.”
Over 30 years ago, my journey at MPS began after I saw an advertisement in the newspaper. After the birth of my daughter, I was looking to return to work and joined the data entry department. At the time, all data was still entered manually from paper forms. Since then, I have seen the organisation grow and change, and I have grown along with it.Today, I work in the Service & Support department. No two days are the same: one day I help a customer with questions about record-keeping, the next I help them understand requirements from the auction or the UO. It is precisely this variety and the personal contact with customers that make my work interesting every day.
In 2008, I joined MPS through a recruitment agency as a secretary. I then held various positions within MPS and MPS-ECAS, including roles in the Service & Support team and as a planner. In 2018, I left the organisation for a while, but in 2023 I returned to MPS-ECAS as a back-office employee. The people are simply too much fun and the world of ornamental horticulture is so innovative that it kept drawing me back. Shortly afterwards, I started working at MPS as Coordinator Netherlands.
During the final year of my Environmental Sciences degree, I joined MPS for an internship. The internship worked out so well for both sides that I was able to stay afterwards. It felt like a natural next step, because I immediately felt at home here and was given the opportunity to continue developing myself.My work is very varied. I work on different projects and products, carry out research and analyses and contribute to practical solutions. I also manage various systems, support customers with complex technical questions and work with external parties. It is precisely this combination that makes my work interesting and ensures that no two weeks are the same.
I first joined MPS through a friend who worked in MPS’s student team. I continued working here while studying Commercial Economics, and at the end of my studies, in 2004, MPS asked if I wanted to join the organisation permanently. It seemed like a great opportunity, and more than twenty years later, I am still here.No two days are the same, and that is exactly what makes my work so enjoyable. A large part of my week consists of project meetings and translating needs from within the organisation into practical solutions. Thursday afternoon is a regular fixture, which I set aside with a colleague to make MPS 1% better every week. For example, we experiment with AI, build prototypes, improve processes or develop new ideas. The goal is always to work smarter and create more value for colleagues, customers and the organisation.