Grower association Addenda has engaged Greenhouse Sustainability to collect and analyze sustainability data. In this way, Addenda wants to gain more insight into the environmental impact of its products and the chain as a whole. “So that we can make better-informed choices for the future.”

Addenda is a grower association that works with its growers on the development, marketing, and sustainability of distinctive plant concepts. From this role, strong brands such as Hebe Addenda®, Campanula Addenda®, and Summerfans® are being built. “By working closely with growers, breeders, and chain partners, we strengthen not only our products but also the market position of our brands,” says marketing manager Ewoud Meeuwissen.

Within Addenda, sustainability is an important part of future-proof entrepreneurship. “As a brand, we see that customers and consumers increasingly expect our products to be grown as sustainably as possible. It may not always be a strict requirement yet, but it is a clear expectation from the market,” says Meeuwissen. “That's why we consider it important to continuously take steps forward as a collective.”

Sustainability ambition
The growers“ association therefore set a sustainability ambition for 2040. Based on this ambition, work is being done on various themes, such as water, crop protection, LCA, circular fertilizers, energy, and biodiversity. "Within each theme, we are launching concrete projects and actions together with our growers and partners to accelerate sustainability. This is how we translate our ambition step by step into practice."

Greenhouse Sustainability plays an important role in this. “We were looking for a partner who could not only give us insight into our environmental impact but also help us translate those insights into concrete improvements. Greenhouse Sustainability supports us in collecting and analyzing sustainability data. Together, we are working to gain better insight into the environmental impact of our products and supply chain, so that we can make more informed choices.”

Concrete actions
Insight is the basis for improvement, believes Meeuwissen. “By making our environmental impact clear, we can develop policy, set priorities, and translate these into concrete actions for our growers, products, and concepts. This way, we are working purposefully towards further sustainability.” But the impact of a product arises throughout the entire chain. Addenda sees sustainability as a shared responsibility. That is why the growers“ association also considers it important to gain insight into the performance of chain partners. ”In this way, we can collectively identify opportunities for improvement, share knowledge, and accelerate the sustainability of the entire chain."

Prepared for the future
Addenda builds that insight step by step. The initial analyses provide tools to identify areas for improvement and set priorities. “Based on this, we develop policy and initiate targeted actions within product development,”