Sustainability with FleuraMetz

For a long time, we lived in the so-called Anthropocene, an era where nature served human life. Now that we’re seeing the consequences of this way of living, there’s been a steady shift towards the Symbiocene: a time where humans, nature, and technology seek a new balance. The call for greater awareness, particularly regarding sustainability, is growing stronger.

Customers are starting to ask whether we use reusable packaging (we’ve done so for decades), or whether we take back and separate waste (always been our standard), we feel more compelled to share our story. To do this in a way that fits us, we prefer to refer to our platform circles.fm, where our partners can post relevant sustainability insights.

Below are just some examples of how Fleurametz and their partners are working on sustainability solutions in the industry.

Working with students to become more sustainable

FM Group submitted a sustainability issue to students, who have been working on it since October. The original question stemmed from our problem that during the buying and selling process of flowers and plants, waste is created in the form of flower and plant residues, packaging materials and other by-products. The students were tasked with finding sustainable ways to minimise these waste streams, improve their separation, and develop and find new uses for these residual streams.

Little Spider: A natural answer to chemical control

Little Spider offers a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides in ornamental cultivation. Koos Bruinen discovered an approach that utilises a small, inconspicuous spider that is a natural enemy of pests such as thrips and aphids. This “miracle spider” not only changed the cultivation of his plants, but also paved the way for a new approach in ornamental horticulture: less chemistry, more nature.

Residue measurements

We started testing crop protection product residues on our products, which we do in collaboration with the Groen Agro Control laboratory. These residue tests allow us to see which and how many plant protection products are used on our products.

Matricaria grown on water

For two and a half years, the young Bleiswijk-based grower, Johan van Egmond has been testing matricaria cultivation on water. Not only does this make the whole process more efficient, the savings on energy, water and fertilisers are most important to Johan. Circles has listed the impact of water-grown matricaria:

• No or little fertiliser is lost - the matricaria absorbs what it needs. Fertiliser levels in the water are measured regularly and topped up where necessary. As a result, 20% less fertiliser is used

• 20% less water is consumed. The matricaria drinks what it needs, nothing goes to waste

• Soil steaming to disinfect the soil is not necessary, this accounts for significant savings in CO2. To date, there have been no problems with bacteria, viruses and the like in the water

• In times of summer drought, it is possible to create a water buffer by temporarily raising the water level of the matricaria

• By pumping around, the water in the matricaria basin lasts for years. To date, Johan has been using the same water for over 2.5 years

Certification for plant breeders

Together with the sustainability accelerator group, we organised an inspiring meeting called 'Certification for plant breeders'. The event took place at the beautiful premises of Waterdrinker Aalsmeer. During this meeting, floriculture growers from the Netherlands and Belgium received information on the road to FSI-compliant certification.

For more amazing projects and sustainability new from FleuraMetz check out Circles.fm

FleuraMetz

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FleuraMetz are one of the largest and most trusted florist wholesalers in the world who deliver all year round, wherever you are in the UK or Ireland.