Dümmen Orange: better insight into carbon footprint

By first calculating its environmental footprint, then identifying where improvements can be made and then offsetting its CO₂ emissions where necessary, Dümmen Orange is following the thinking behind the Horti Footprint Chain Program. The aim of this programme is to help the ornamental horticulture supply chain go climate-positive by 2030. Collaboration within the chain is a key part of this. Dümmen Orange, which operates worldwide, is one of more than twenty partners that have joined this initiative. Sustainability is one of the company's strategic themes.

Strength of the chain approach

"Climate change is a fact," says Carl Kroon, General Manager Dümmen Orange Guatemala and Dümmen Orange's representative in the Horti Footprint Chain Program. "Things can't continue the way they are, and that's why we as a company want to take our responsibility seriously and play a part in improving things. For us, the chain approach is the strength of the programme. This approach enables us in the ornamental horticulture sector to gather as much input as possible from across the whole supply chain so that we can all make improvements. It's great to see so many parties making an effort to do things better together."

Dümmen Orange carried out its CO₂ measurements at sites in the Netherlands, Kenya and Guatemala. "Together with Greenhouse Marketeers we have identified our environmental impact, from production on site to the airport in the destination country," Kroon says. "The next step is to improve the footprint where possible, for example by working more closely with suppliers or by making different and better choices, such as shortening transport routes and cutting energy consumption," Kroon explains. "But this could also mean that in the future, Dümmen Orange will choose to work with other suppliers who have a lower footprint."

Kroon wants to keep the momentum going in the programme. "CO₂ emissions from the ornamental horticulture sector must be a lot lower by 2030 than they are at present. We will have to work on that together. The question is not whether we should do something but when. Ultimately our customers and our customers' customers will ask for that. At Dümmen Orange we have taken the conscious decision to respond to this by taking action now."

Source: HortiBiz