Sustainable flowers and plants
Worrie-free shopping for florists, that is the mission of Van der Plas. The ecological footprint is part of this. We ensure that from field to vase, the entire process is as fair as possible. You can therefore carefree buy responsible products from Europe’s #1 platform for florists.
Fighting global warming
Are you looking for a sustainable Dutch flower and plant exporter? Van der Plas is what you are looking for. A close-knit family business and a progressive flower and plant wholesaler for more than fifty years. Among the more than 450 employees, you will find several generations from different families. We know: there is a time after our time. We, too, have our duty to combat global warming.
Moreover, profit should not be at the expense of people’s health and rights. Anywhere in the floriculture chain. That’s what we’re going for.
Read on below about our certifications.
Certifications
from flower and plant wholesaler Van der Plas
Actions speak louder than words. As the #1 purchasing platform for florists, we take our responsibility. Therefore because it is our duty, it is part of our mission: to allow European florists to shop without any worries. We are a stable partner in the sustainable world of tomorrow. These internationally recognized certifications are part of that.
MPS
Florimark Good Trade Practice
Van der Plas is an MPS certified flower and plant wholesaler from the Netherlands. Our MPS number is 650651. We are accredited as a wholesaler and as a scheduled driver, as you can see in this document (link to doc). What does it mean to be MPS certified?
MPS Florimark is comparable to ISO. The international standard for quality control. Every year we go through an external audit. The auditors assess us on quality, sustainability, purchasing, waste, personnel, management, software and reporting. The audit focuses on the present. How is the situation now? But also in the future. What improvements is Van der Plas making, and how do we check whether these are safeguarded in our company? May 12, 2022, was the last external audit. We passed without comments. And we are proud of that.
Global G.A.P.
Certification
Suppliers from non-risk countries are G.A.P. certified and have an environmental certification.
Suppliers from high-risk countries are also G.A.P. certified, have an environmental certificate and are also certified in the area of dealing with employees. These include working conditions and issues such as minimum wages.
FSI 2025
Basket of standards
FSI stands for Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. This initiative consists of companies that find each other in the will to do better. Better in terms of sustainability, better in terms of human rights, better in terms of CO2 footprint and better in terms of the environment. In the ‘basket’, you will find a collection of certifications in G.A.P., environment and people.
As a flower and plant wholesaler, our focus is on sustainable purchasing. In concrete terms, our membership in FSI 2025 means: that 90% of purchases will be certified sustainable by 2025. The rationale behind this: if wholesalers and retailers apply the exact requirements, all suppliers must meet those 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 oblige every grower to produce sustainably.
Flourishing Together
We follow the flowers and plants of certified suppliers throughout the entire chain. The EKT is indispensable in this regard. This contains the grower with a unique number per product. This makes the products traceable and excludes unauthorized use of certification. And is part of Global GAP. We call this traceability Chain of Custody.
For example, Van de Plas wants to provide florists with beautiful quality roses all year round. A grower from Africa, a risk area, offers these. We only purchase roses from this grower if he is certified in G.A.P, environment and people. Our motto is, therefore: flourishing together. You don’t become a sustainable flower wholesaler on your own. Together with our Flourishing Partners, we go for sustainable.