The Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) quality seal is a good example of one such area of cooperation. FFP is an internationally recognized consumer seal of approval for flowers from sustainable production. Flowers with this seal come from growers who have geared their operation to the high environmental and social standards the label mandates.

These standards refer to pesticides, fertilizers, energy, waste separation and water. Other criteria that are audited include working conditions such as the right to a minimum wage, respect for jobs and health and safety in the workplace.

Reducing energy consumption
Entrepreneurs in the sector, social bodies and the Dutch government have also agreed to collaborate in an effort to reduce CO²-emissions from greenhouse cultivation by 45% before 2020, i.e. compared with 1990. Long term the Dutch greenhouse cultivation sector aims to become completely climate neutral, unaffected by (high) energy prices and independent of energy suppliers.

Effective utilization of daylight
One method of achieving these ambitious goals is to make effective use of daylight. Joint research by several parties has shown that a grower can save gas and increase production by keeping the screens in the greenhouse shut longer. Some Dutch growers open the screens only between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day; the period during which the flowers can utilize 95% of the available daylight efficiently.

When the screens are opened at 11 a.m. the daylight is strong enough and has the required light temperature to activate the flowers. In other words: daylight has no effect on the flowers before 11 a.m. Before the growers agreed to participate in the project they used to open the screens at 9 a.m. This caused the temperature in the greenhouse to drop dramatically and made it necessary to use extra heating to keep the greenhouse at the right temperature.