Eye for sustainability
Allowing florists to buy worry-free is Van der Plas' mission. That includes the ecological footprint. We make sure the chain is as fair as possible, from field to vase. So you can buy sustainable flowers and plants for your flower shop worry-free.
Future-oriented
Looking for a sustainable flower and plant exporter? Van der Plas is actively working to make the floriculture chain more sustainable. As a family business, we know better than anyone that there is a time after our time. We therefore see it as our duty to counteract global warming. What's more, profit should never come at the expense of people's health and rights. That is what we're committed to.
Our labels
Actions speak louder than words. We take responsibility in carrying out our mission: to allow European florists to buy worry-free. We work with recognised certifications to ensure that our flowers and plants are grown, packed and transported in a way that is responsible to people and the environment.
MPS Florimark Good Trade Practice
Van der Plas is an MPS-certified flower and plant wholesaler (MPS number 650651). We are certified not only as a wholesaler, but also as a line driver. MPS Florimark is similar to ISO, the international standard for quality control. We undergo an external audit every year. The auditors assess us on quality, sustainability, procurement, waste, personnel, management, software and reporting. This audit focuses on both the current situation and the future. For example, this includes how we implement future improvements and how we check that they are safeguarded within our company. The most recent external audit took place on 12 May 2022, which we passed without receiving any comments. And we are proud of that.
Global G.A.P. Certification
Our suppliers from non-risk countries are Global G.A.P. certified and have environmental certification. All Van der Plas suppliers located in 'risk countries' have Global G.A.P. certification, environmental certification and employee welfare certificates. This includes things like working conditions and the minimum wage. We'd like to share an example of our sustainability policy with you. Suppose we want to offer beautiful high-quality roses all year round and there is a grower offering them from Africa, a high-risk area. We will only buy roses from this grower if they are certified in G.A.P. and have certificates relating to people and the environment.
FSI 2025 Basket of standards
FSI stands for Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. This initiative consists of companies who share a desire to do better on sustainability, human rights and carbon emissions. The 'basket' contains a collection of certifications that match these areas. As a flower and plant wholesaler, our focus is on sustainable purchasing. Specifically, our membership to FSI 2025 means that 90% of procurement will be certified sustainable by 2025. The idea behind this is that we as a wholesaler have the same requirements as retailers, so all suppliers have to meet these requirements. There is then no sales channel for non-certified products. In this way, we ensure a level playing field with the same rules for everyone, and we compel every grower to grow sustainably.
Read our onFlourishing together
We track our certified flowers and plants through the entire chain. The EKT is indispensable here. Within this system, each product from the grower has a unique number, which makes the flowers and plants traceable. EKT therefore eliminates the unlawful use of certification. This traceability is also known as the Chain of Custody.
Our motto is to flourish together. You don't become a sustainable flower wholesaler on your own. That's why we are striving for sustainability with our Flourishing Partners.
