Houwenplant

Houwenplant, founded in 1974, specializes in Anthuriums and is a market leader. The company offers nine pot sizes, new varieties, and certified sustainable products, including those under the Fair Floral label. Discover their sustainability efforts in this blog.

Houwenplant is a family business that was founded in 1974. The company has been focussing on growing Anthuriums since 2008, and is now a market leader. The company grows nine pot sizes in specialised locations. Houwenplant regularly introduce new varieties. Houwenplant complies with all certifications with the production of its Anthuriums. It is thereby Global G.A.P. Chain of Custody certified. It has recently started offering products under the Fair Floral label.

HouwenPlant joins Fair Flora

Houwenplant has recently started offering products under the Fair Floral label. As an Anthurium specialist, it was a logical step for them to take in the context of the sustainable development that they have been undergoing in recent years. “We are very conscious of the fact that as a nursery we play an important role in determining whether or not we pollute the environment,” says Marco van der Goes, Manager Sales & Marketing at Houwenplant. “As a floriculture business we want to make people happy. A sustainable product is part of that.”

Demonstrating sustainability

Houwenplant complies with all certifications in its Anthurium production. It is thereby Global G.A.P. Chain of Custody certified, according to Van der Goes. “We want to play in the ‘Champions League’ and supply our products to supermarkets, garden centres, DIY stores and florists. You thereby need to be able to show that you meet the highest standards of sustainable production, because sustainability is very important to many of our customers. We have therefore had our carbon footprint calculated through Greenhouse Marketeers. Now that we meet all the requirements and can provide insight into our sustainability, we have reached the point where we also want to tell the world about this. We want to demonstrate the steps that we have taken and show people how sustainable our plants are – including consumers. We have the opportunity to do that through Fair Flora.”

Further steps

Houwenplant now offers a proportion of its Anthuriums through Fair Flora. But Van der Goes wants to stress that the products that are not covered by the label are still grown in the same sustainable way. “The production is identical, but with the Fair Flora plants every aspect of production and origin is also completely transparent.” Houwenplant will be taking further steps in collaboration with Fair Flora going forward. For example, the company intends to start using pots and labels made of biodegradable material. Bamboo would be an excellent product for that, and that is why Houwenplant is offsetting its own carbon emissions by planting bamboo through Bamboo Village Uganda. “In due course, we can use the bamboo that is growing there for pots,” says Van der Goes. “We also attach a lot of value to the social aspect of the project in Uganda, which provides jobs for people.”