In Honselersdijk , Amazone Plants produce many varieties of tailflower in dissimilar color and pot size of it year - round of drinks on almost 6 hectare . In recent days , the party has put a mass of elbow grease into sustainability . Co - owner Bas van Zijl explains what the company is doing in terms of Department of Energy , reuse of piss and CO2 , and making packaging more sustainable .
Amazone Plants was establish by Fred van Zijl - Bas ' father - and his business better half Lex Scheffers . Now the three of them work the company , with the aid of 25 employee . " We have some temporary workers , but most are permanent employees , " Bas says . " It ’s a skillful guild of people and we have very little turnover . For us , that works very nicely , because it creates a cozy atm during piece of work and in the canteen . "
Future - proof thanks to geothermal energyThe company has made several investments in recent years to become more sustainable . For illustration , Amazone Plants is carbon monoxide - owner of Aardwarmte Vogelaer , a joint venture that supplies vigour from a geothermal well to 18 greenhouse caller in Honselersdijk , Poeldijk and Monster . Bas : " 60 % of our oestrus consumption for the greenhouse , where we have a tropical climate , come from there . This relieve us a considerable amount of gas pedal . Our part of geothermal hotness will be even more this year because Vogelaer is shape on a second installation . We are in a lucky location here . After all , it is not possible to practise for geothermal heat everywhere . "
In the longer terminus , this investing will pay off . " geothermic heat is not sleazy , but you are your own supplier , so to speak , and therefore less dependant on gas . So you build in a sure security that you could keep on to uprise sustainably . That ’s how we keep our business future tense - proof . "
ego - sufficient when there is a stack of sun"We had 500 solar gore set up on the roofs of our sheds last year . We mist over a mickle in summer because we need high-pitched humidness in the greenhouse due to the tropical mood . The misting motor run on electricity we beget from the solar panels . For fog , we employ osmosis water . We are now to the period where we are ego - sufficient in DOE in summer when there is a lot of temperateness . "
The company also adorn in LED firing last year . The traditional SON - T lamps have been replaced by LED lamps , which practice a lot less vim .
Reuse of water and CO2Amazon Plants also recycle as much water as possible . " We irrigate our flora at the outset of the table that slopes very slightly , with the urine running under the pots . Each pot absorb up a sure amount of urine , and anything leave alone over we pick up on the other side of the table and redirect to the silo . This we pick and recycle . That way , we waste nearly no water supply . "
As if all this were not enough , the company also reuse CO2 through the OCAP connection , get from the Rotterdam manufacture . The CO2 is an important nutrient for the plant . The anthuriums grow nice and quicker , and it also forbid a pile of unneeded CO2 emission . ‘Increasing need from buyers '
But not only in terms of energy intake , Amazone Plants also has an eye for sustainability when it comes to publicity . The peck , for instance , are 80 % made of consumer wastefulness . Bas : " We also put that in Floriday with the product . In general , we notice more and more demand from buyers in that area . For example , there is a requirement for credit card - free ( without sleeves ) , or recycled charge card . "
Amazon Plants uses sleeve made of partially recycled credit card but also append some of the plant plastic - free . " Then we put them in a box without a arm . Only the bay window is then still formative . Many garden center put the plants in the shop without a arm , so that ’s okay . And consumer and retailers also care to see the products in the store without credit card . The cunning affair is just that you always call for a degree of protective cover as well . We grow anthuriums with large flowers , which are quite sensible to damage . You could opt for composition board arm , but that again is much more expensive . We are still weigh up what is the best solvent for us now for the future . "
For more data : Royal FloraHollandwww.royalfloraholland.com
