There was an interesting article in the February issue of the Dutch trade magazine KAS about the new premises for SV.CO pot plant nursery in De Lier (Netherlands), where the company has installed an ErfGoedFloor®. The company had extensive experience at its former locations with roller tables and so it was in a perfect position to compare the two cultivation systems. And the results clearly demonstrated the benefits of the cultivation floor.
Personally, I am convinced that our cultivation system is simply the very best for your plants. I’m well aware how that sounds: ‘Here at ErfGoedFloor, we recommend … the ErfGoedFloor’. Which is hardly surprising. But I am a genuine believer.
For myself, and my team, the driving mission has always been to develop a product that is good for everything and everyone. That’s because I believe we have to look after people and the environment. And we also have a responsibility for our children and grandchildren. They call it good stewardship. That’s something I’ve talked about in a previous blog. Our cultivation system is a prime example.
Why do I say that? Because of the facts and data we get from users, studies by Wageningen University and Research and, for example, the figures we receive from the MPS Foundation. In the piece in KAS I mentioned above, the nursery listed a number of environmental benefits of the ErfGoedFloor, including major reductions in lost plants, and considerable savings in energy, water, fertilisers and pesticides. A spokesman for MPS, says that the records for growers who have switched to the ErfGoedFloor demonstrate that there is a significant change in pesticide consumption.
He says that MPS is seeing a marked decrease at these growers in the use of red (harmful) products and an increase in green (less harmful and biological) products. He concludes on the basis of the analysed figures that an ErfGoedFloor gives a boost to the MPS score for pesticide consumption. And that is interesting!
Because MPS is not just any organisation. The foundation started out in 1993 in the Westland region with the aim of encouraging the ornamentals sector to be more market-oriented and sustainable in its operations and it is now active in more than 55 countries on behalf of approximately 4,000 growers! As well as an eco-label, MPS also issues additional certificates that emphasise quality control and corporate social responsibility.
The market takes these things extremely seriously. Supermarkets, for example, are increasingly aware of the risks involved in selling flowers and plants. So buyers increasingly prefer companies with certification. And that means that it is very useful for growers to have MPS certificates. So an ErfGoed floor is a major step ahead in terms of obtaining and retaining quality approval of this kind.
You will see why it makes sense: Here at ErfGoedFloor, we recommend … the ErfGoedFloor!
Send me an email or pick up the phone if you would like to discuss the benefits.