A special retail layout will show the role to be played by sustainability in the sale of garden plants in the future.
Sustainability is a hot topic, and the same is true in the tree nursery sector. Plenty of initiatives in the sector aim to increase the sustainability of growing plants. These vary from clean water projects to completely organic crops and everything in between.
Sustainable garden
The sustainability square at Plantarium 2014 will establish the connection between this current social theme and the tree nursery sector. The sustainability square has two sections. One is the sustainable garden by Sjaak Willemstein Hoveniers from Waddinxveen. In 2013, this firm was voted the most sustainable horticultural company in the Netherlands. Willemstein demonstrates that waste products from one source can be used as raw materials for other projects.
The sustainable garden centre
Right next to this sustainable garden, we will present an example of a sustainable garden centre. Sustainably grown plants will be presented in a special layout, which offers plenty of scope for communicating details about the plant and its sustainability. By means of QR codes and ‘activating’ plants on social media and the internet, consumers can find out how the plant was grown. This will reveal which nursery produced the plant and how it deals with issues such as water, crop protection, fertilisation, staff and other subjects which play a role in sustainable enterprise. In order to ensure that consumers also enjoy the plant in a sustainable manner, once they have ‘activated’ the plant they will be sent all kinds of tips and tricks about plant care and possible applications.
On Thursday 28 August, Lodewijk Hoekstra (the presenter of the TV show Eigen Huis & Tuin and the co-founder of the sustainability movement NL Greenlabel) will be visiting the sustainability square. Here, he will share his vision of sustainable garden centres with the audience. Via the ‘Verduurzaming Groene Keten’ (Increasing the Sustainability of the Green Chain) project, NL Greenlabel is the co-founder of the sustainable garden centre.
Plantarium 2014 will run from 27 to 30 August 2014 in the Plantarium building at the International Trade Centre Boskoop-Hazerswoude. For further information, please visit the updated website: www.plantarium.nl.
Source: Plantarium 2014
