Sustainability – central to our corporate strategy

We report comprehensively and transparently about our activities. We want the public to be aware of the way in which we have placed sustainability firmly at the forefront of our business practices. And we want to remain the most sustainable company in the substrate industry.

On the basis of corporate data for the financial years 2016, 2018 and 2020 we have commissioned the calculation of a carbon footprint at both company and product levels. It was audited and verified by SGS (SGS | Enabling a better, safer and more interconnected world)with regard to its assumptions, function and internal logic in accordance with the ISO 14064–1 standard and at a limited level of assurance.

Full information is given in our latest Sustainability Report, where you will also find further details about our product carbon footprints (PCFs), our CO2 reduction strategy, as well as the ‘cradle to gate’ and ‘cradle to grave’ system boundaries.

 

Our key performance indicators

Alternative raw materials

We aim to increase the proportion of alternative raw materials to 30% of our total annual production by 2025.
2020: 15% | 2018: 12% | 2016: 9% | 2013: 4%

Food sector

We aim to increase our supplies to the vegetable and fruit-growing sector. (During the Corona pandemic, demand for potting soils and growing media for ornamental and nursery plants skyrocketed, lowering the 2020 percentage for the food industry.)
2020: 44% | 2018: 45% | 2016: 43% | 2013: 38%

Product carbon footprint

Since we want to continuously improve emissions per product unit, we calculate the ratio between our company’s total emissions (in t CO2e) and our total production volume (in m³). 

2020: 52 kg CO2e/m³ | 2018: 59 kg CO2e/m³ | 2016: 59 kg CO2e/m³ | 2013: 63 kg CO2e/m³  

Corporate carbon footprint

We also want to reduce overall emissions at the corporate level. We achieved the turnaround in 2020.

2020: 206,112 t CO2e | 2018: 228,948 t CO2e | 2016: 210,794 t CO2e | 2013: 204,144 t CO2e

Improve your nursery’s climate impact with alternative substrate blends

The product carbon footprint (PCF) refers to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product over its life cycle. The choice of substrate components influences the PCF.

We would like to supply you with substrate blends that have an improved PCF 

 

  • This is achieved through increased usage of alternative constituents
  • These materials are chiefly wood fibre and green compost produced in-house in a quality-assured process
  • Coco, perlite and regionally available raw materials are also growing in importance

Our commitment, your benefits:

Improving your carbon footprint

 

  • You can improve your nursery’s carbon footprint with alternative substrate blends
  • This also reuces the carbon footprint of your plants
  • Switching to new substrate blends offers an opportunity to gain experience at an early stage

Bright prospects:
Reduce your CO2 emissions by up to 28%, with climate-friendly substrate blends.

  • Peat extraction solely on degraded peatland
  • Pristine bogs have been designated protection areas (since 1981 in Lower Saxony) and are left untouched
  • Use of peatland complies with the Code of Practice of the former European Peat and Growing Media Association (EPAGMA)
  • We support the development of the Responsibly Produced Peat (RPP) eco-label
  • 86% of our peat bogs are certified to RPP

The European certification system ‘Responsibly Produced Peat’ (RPP) was established in 2013 with the following aims:

  • Leaving natural peatlands of high conservation value untouched, and preserving them over the long term
  • Permitting controlled peat production solely on sites already drained and/or previously used for agriculture
  • Ensuring the long-term availability of peat as a valuable growing media constituent
  • Increasing the rate of peat production from degraded peatlands so that restoration measures can be started as early as possible

RPP has established a reliable and transparent certification system for responsible peat production. Member companies and their extraction areas are examined by an independent auditor on behalf of the ECAS certification organisation.

Against this background, we have applied for RPP certification for most of our extraction sites in recent years. By 2021, this had been obtained for 83% of our total extraction area, which means that 85% of our peat raw materials are sourced from RPP-certified sites.

Measures following peat harvesting

When peat harvesting has come to an end, the areas in question are prepared in line with regulatory requirements. Sites under restoration are made permanently available as biotopes for conservation and climate protection purposes. Since 1960, we have rewetted, afforested or made available to agriculture a total of 8,767 hectares. Of this, 4,455 hectares were rewetted.

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