Gartneriet Thoruplund was the first Danish MPS customer 25 years ago, when sustainability was not yet high on the agenda in the floriculture sector. Nevertheless, the pot plant company decided to start with MPS-ABC and later also MPS-GAP and MPS-SQ. “It’s in our DNA to take good care of the environment,” says Karin Rostock Clemmensen, project coordinator at Gartneriet Thoruplund.
Karin Rostock Clemmensen, project coordinator at Gartneriet Thoruplund
The Danish family business, which is located in Odense, grows campanulas, schlumbergeras and roses, among other things. Karin has been working at Gartneriet Thoruplund for over thirty years. “When we signed up for MPS-ABC 25 years ago, we were looking for a way to show our customers that we grew our products in an environmentally conscious way. With MPS-ABC we were able to demonstrate our sustainability efforts. We notice that this is still becoming increasingly important in 2022.”
Use of fungi
Gartneriet Thoruplund guarantees environmental performance with MPS-ABC. An A+, A, B or C qualification is awarded based on the usage of crop protection agents, fertilisers, energy and waste. With this, companies show how they score in comparison with other companies with the same cultivation conditions and products. MPS-GAP shows that the company meets requirements in the field of the environment, traceability and crop protection agents and MPS-SQ shows that the company meets (inter)national requirements in the field of health and safety of employees.
There is a reason that the company scores an A+. For example, different types of biology are used instead of crop protection agents, for example certain fungi are used. Karin says: “These fungi eat the fungi that are harmful to the plant. We try to fight fungi and diseases as biologically as possible. If we do use crop protection agents, we check whether they are classified as red, amber, green or white substances at MPS-ABC.” Within MPS-ABC, crop protection agents are classified in these colours on the basis of environmental factors, dust properties and emission-limiting measures, with white products being the most environmentally friendly.
Climate goals
To ensure that few crop protection agents are needed anyway, the company ensures strong and resilient plants. “We are breeding new species that are resistant to fungal infections, so that we can grow them using only biology”, Karin says. “We also collect rainwater and use as little energy as possible. This is partly possible because we have invested in insulation screens. To further reduce our ecological footprint, we want to invest in heat pumps or district heating.”
The United Nations’ climate goals are no stranger to the nursery either. “We feel co-responsible for achieving certain goals. Most important to us are climate goal 12: responsible usage and production, and climate goal 15: life on land,” Karin says. In addition, we are aware of goals 5 and 8 on gender equality, decent work and economic growth. We are continuously working towards a greener and more sustainable world and we encourage our suppliers, customers and employees to do the same.”
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.