Growers United towards 100% sustainability

Growers United is a cooperative of more than 40 growers of tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers and aubergines. Family businesses with years of experience, expertise of growing and a firm focus on the future. And that future is sustainable. If the shape of the future is in the hands of Growers United, in 2040 they will be using completely circular, fair and healthy cultivation systems.

Sustainability is, according to Managing Director Jan Opschoor, part of the DNA at Growers United. Our active commitment to sustainability is something our customers also find important.” In its role as a growers’ cooperative, one of the tasks of Growers United is marketing the greenhouse vegetables produced by its members. Working together, with openness and transparency, towards the same goal: supplying consumers with the most delicious and healthiest vegetables grown as sustainably as possible. Growers United focuses on three principles to increase its sustainability: Less impact – by minimising its consumption of energy, water and crop protection products. Reduce waste – by finding new uses for waste streams. And healthy people – by promoting the health of employees and consumers.

Less impact

Growers United wants to minimise the impact its crops have on the environment. The high-tech greenhouses used for vegetable cultivation in the Netherlands rank among the most sustainable in Europe. The closed loop irrigation systems used in these greenhouses enable recirculation, so no valuable water is wasted. This offers the added advantage that any nutrients not absorbed by the plants can also be reused. Opschoor: “We are also transitioning to renewable energy sources such as geothermal heat and residual heat from industrial applications. At present, 50% of our growers are already connected to a sustainable energy source and a further 30% are actively planning to do the same.” And finally, as part of the cooperative there is a quality team that supports growers in their sustainable initiatives.

Currently, 50% of Growers United producers already use renewable energy sources, and another 30% are actively working towards it.

With high-quality vegetables, the company also wants to contribute to a healthier society.

Source: Growers United

Reduce waste

Growers United has made huge progress in reducing waste. “Over the past few years we have continued to reduce the thickness of our plastic and cardboard packaging. We exclusively use recycled raw materials and 100% of our plastic packaging material can already be recycled in the chain.” And the growers are also well on their way towards circular horticulture. Green waste is processed to create compost and the stone wool substrates used to grow the crops are repurposed into bricks after the cultivation cycle.

Healthy people

Growers United wants to be a good employer for its own employees and flexible workers in the sector. The cooperative also takes its responsibility towards consumers seriously: “We want to promote a healthy diet. In cooperation with the retail sector, we are examining ways of stimulating people to eat more vegetables, so that our products can have a positive impact on the health of society in general. One way is by developing delicious recipes to inspire consumers to indulge in healthy eating moments more often each day. These are the steps Growers United is taking on its journey towards becoming 100% circular, fair and healthy in 2040!“