April marked not one but two celebrations around sustainability in the agri chain! VDE Plant, grower and breeder of tropical and air-puryifying plants, made an exciting announcement during the Horti Footprint Chain Program event. The organisation has concretised its Carbon Footprint, the details of which are publicly available in the Certifeye Wallet.

This makes VDE Plant the first member of the Certifeye platform to post its Carbon Footprint data to the Certifeye Wallet. The announcement also comes as a first for Greenhouse Sustainability, an organisation that has been working diligently to identify and reduce the environmental impact of companies. In collaboration with VDE Plant, they have now issued a Carbon Footprint statement and made it available as a shareable uniform declaration document in the Certifeye Wallet for the very first time.

VDE Plant has no secrets

Sustainability is of paramount importance to VDE Plant, which is reflected by the publicly sharing of the environmental impact of their products. The 16 categories included in Greenhouse Sustainability’s “Declaration Footprint Calculation” are made publicly available in the organisation’s Certifeye Wallet. This Wallet can be accessed from within the application, but also through a QR code printed on their products that allows for users outside of the platform to view the declaration. This is in line with Greenhouse Sustainability’s mission statement: “No words, but actions”. By making all sustainability information available, VDE Plant will be able to demonstrate how they are progressing down the path towards sustainability over the years.

One CO2 size to fit all?

Greenhouse Sustainability has been active in the agricultural sector for years, helping organisations calculate the impact of their operations on the world around us. This benefits not only the participating companies, but also their customers, since the information about their suppliers allow them to make informed choices about the sustainability of their chains.

Greenhouse Sustainability’s 1st lies in the standardisation of these calculations. Thanks to the declaration, which from now on can also be placed in the Certifeye Wallet, the CO2 impact of products can be seen in a glance. The calculation method of this tool corresponds to the so-called FloriPEFCR. These are the European calculation rules for determining, for example, the carbon footprint.

For now, this declaration is based on information provided by the party being investigated. The next step: a Carbon Footprint certification based on externally verified data.

We look forward to seeing what the future of standardisation of environmental impact will bring. Are you also interested in this topic? Contact us at info@certifeye.com, and we will be happy to think along with you.

Technology is developing faster and faster, and this makes it possible for new applications thereof to become reality. If you combine different technological applications, you can collect data that you no longer have to verify, if the technology that has been applied is proven suitable. This is an interesting topic for a discussion on the future of certification within the agribusiness sector.

On January 19th we had a meeting in cooperation with the Wageningen University and Research (WUR), welcoming visitors from various sectors of the agribusiness. There was representation from flowers, flower bulbs, food, animal feed, and certifying bodies. We are exploring the possibility of a so-called PPP, a public-private partnership in the field of innovation.

The introduction was given by Mr. Koos van der Meij, affiliated with the WUR. The intelligent sprayer was used as an example and is equipped with four different technologies. First, an optical scanner for crop recognition, a GPS system to determine location and area, a volume meter to determine the amount of liquid sprayed and an infrared scanner to determine residues. Combined, this information presents the amount sprayed per area on a given crop. That data can be recorded as validated data  to fulfill required records within an agricultural operation.

This can be called remote viewing and assessment. The increase in different technological applications gives room for other human actions and limits for example the travel of auditors etc. Is this far away? Perhaps, but far away is currently coming closer very quickly. The latter is reason for ManualMaster and Certifeye to be at the forefront of these developments. And what better way is there to do that, than in a consortium of companies that use their knowledge to come up with new applications of existing and developing technology?

Are you interested in thinking along with us? Please get in touch via info@certifeye.com or through our contact form stating PPS Decentralized Validation. Our colleague will contact you as soon as possible.

“Trust, Autonomy, Movement”

With these words, Fred Vahlkamp, the founder of ManualMaster and Certifeye, and Ilja Botha opened the Quality PopUp event: a day where all eyes were focused on the future. The future of the flower, plant and food industry, but also the future of sustainability, collaboration within supply chains and technological developments that make this possible.

Conference center and restaurant De Dyck located in the picturesque Woubrugge  welcomed guests with snacks grown on their own soil. A truly inspiring place to discuss different ways to make the sectors more sustainable.

Innovation in a Standardized World

The first speaker, Daan de Vries of MPS Groep, took us into the world of standardization and innovation. Some of the introduced concepts were Chain Transparency 2.0, HortiFootprint Calculator, and industry-wide developments such as FSI 2025.

“The first step is taking a good look at how the chains work and mapping out who supplies whom.” explains Daan. “Then various involved companies share the results, which in turn form a complete overview.”

In that regard, sharing data is of great importance. While every member of a chain knows the details of their own customers and suppliers, it can pose a great challenge for a more complex chain. Daan: “What if someone uses pesticides, all the way at the start of a supply chain? If some grower further on in the supply chain wants to farm biologically, this might be a problem, as the pesticides from the start of the chain may kill insects used by the bio grower.” This is why it is crucial to know what is expected in both directions of a chain, in order to guarantee the quality and respect the wishes of the customers. Daan also refers to the end of a chain: “Retail has certain requirements a breeder must respond to, otherwise they can no longer sell their products. So in the end you really have to collaborate and communicate with each other.”

   

MPS presents a practical example with the Chain Transparency 2.0 project. The streamlined and open communication has led, among other successes, to a 45% reduction of pesticides among MPS-ABC certified companies.

 

“Collaboration is more intensive than simple data sharing. Organizations need to trust each other with information and their analyses, as the problems that pose a challenge to a single company can be tackled and solved together.”

This joint effort, known as non-competitive collaboration, is commonplace in MPS projects and applies as well to the FSI 2025 project that is aiming to achieve 90% sustainable procurement by 2025.

These projects are often based on certification and standardisation. However, certification can also lead to innovation. When in the early 1990s the European Union focused on uniform standards, many companies found a new niche opportunity.

“What you see is that most of those existing certifying organizations have become a top-up. On one hand they form a niche, but at the same time they are the front runners who offer certification to producers who want to develop beyond the common set of standards. This way, they take an extra step towards what they find important.”

“Non-competitive collaboration plays an enormous role. It is less common for innovation to happen inside the companies. Instead, it is now taking place between the companies”

Daan had a clear answer  to the question about the feasibility of achieving sustainability goals within a limited period of time. “When switching from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, for example, you can get stuck on the fact that building a nuclear power plant takes 10 years. How do you do that with goals for 2030? You should think in terms of transitions, continuously taking steps and improving the situation. And then you might just as well complete the energy supply goals in 2050, right?”

Sustainability Dialogues

While enjoying sandwiches and asparagus soup from the restaurant’s vegetable garden, participants spent their lunch exchanging their views on the future of data validation. These conversations were inspired by statements found on each table.

One of the discussed statements

This hearty meal was followed by a tour around the restaurant’s garden. With more than 100 plant species, the garden can sustain the kitchen almost entirely with their own harvest. In the near future, Restaurant de Dyck will expand its business operations to include animals in the circular process. Food residues serve as food for animals, and the animals are ultimately also used in the kitchen.

       

Goals of the Present and Dreams of the Future

Speaker Koos van der Meij from Wageningen University & Research gave us a bird’s-eye overview of the current and future technology in data validation.

The ecosystem of developments started with mechanization and steam power, followed by mass production, electricity, computers and automation, and finally we have the current “Industry 4.0”: Cyber Physical Systems.

This phase goes hand in hand with supply chain thinking and the data ecosystems associated with them. The data exchange works well as long as each link passes on the information in a way that matches the systems of their relevant relations.

“And what if there is a link in the chain that does not pass on the data? How does that impact the value of your data in the chain?” The solution for this problem is the transition from a supply chain to a supply community. “The flow of goods remains the same, but it’s no longer linear. You then become a spider in the web”. Koos adds: “Standardization is crucial in such a community”.

Besides participants engaged in production and transport or sales, the so-called community services also play a role. These are, for example, certification institutions            such as MPS, or software suppliers such as Certifeye. “What value will these services add in the future? Is it necessary for a grower to be certified?” – asks Koos. “The technological equipment can ensure that you do not audit the entire production of a specific supplier every year, instead you certify each product piece by piece”.

Dataprocessing

Of course, this requires an enormous amount of dataprocessing. It is already going well in many places at the moment. Think, for example, of exercising with a smartwatch or even a simple weather forecast. Koos explains the important elements here: “First of all, we need standardization of data, so that it is consistently clear what expectations are set. Then you have sensor management, for example deciding where the temperature gauge will be placed in a truck with goods. Finally, all this digital data must of course be strongly secured against, among other things, DDOS attacks.”

In the context of data collection in the food industry, Koos names a few scan types: DNA scan, collagen scan and a molecular scan. “Components formed by these different scans lead to a fingerprint of the scanned object. Such a fingerprint shows, for example, how many kilocalories and carbohydrates this apple contains.”

Such technological improvements were made possible by the blockchain technology. The system sends information to the database and links it with the correct type of fruit data. In the future, this information can go directly to the customer, and enable them to check whether the specifications of the apple meet their requirements. Eventually, all this information returns to the scanner.

 

Visitors had a chance to experience this process of food analysis live. During the demonstration of the molecular scanning system called SCIO, people enjoyed watching the extract of an exact composition of an apple without damaging it in any way.

Where will this technology lead us? The public immediately got a taste of these developments. What if a biological barcode could be sprayed on the apple, so that every apple would be identified immediately, even without a sticker? Is fruit taste definable at the molecular level? What consequences will this have for both the hospitality industry and retailers?

Fortunately, we can also discover the taste of an apple the old-fashioned way! This was made possible during the Quality PopUp thanks to the volunteers of De Kleine Wereld from Gorinchem, a school for special needs students, who provided the apples with organic quality stickers at the end. We would like to thank these involved students for their hard work!

Did you miss this Quality PopUp, but are still interested in the future of data validation and sustainability? Wageningen University & Research will organize the PPP Consortium in 2023, which will include the concept of Circle of Community and safeguarding organic goods. Are you interested? Please contact us through info@certifeye.com with the subject line: Interest in PPS WUR. You will then receive a call from our colleague involved in the project. In the near future you can also take part in an initial orientation on the University grounds.

To maintain a strong, sustainable supply chain, it is crucial that all participants work towards a common goal. Exchanging information and striving for high quality products creates a situation where growers and consumers alike know that their products are processed in the best possible way. Today, Mark Schellevis of the growers’ association Colours of Nature explains the benefit of suppliers’ collaboration within one product group. 

The origins of this organization go back more than 17 years. Since then, the composition of the organization has developed into a total of 11 nurseries divided among 8 members, who are collectively committed to the cultivation of (mini)gerberas.  

Sharing knowledge lays at the foundation of this cooperation. The association members are given the opportunity to discuss their observations and experiences during weekly meetings. The conversations touch upon a wide variety of topics: sustainability, consumption of raw materials and their costs, but also advice on cultivation and crops. Mark indicates that as the growers of Colours of Nature focus on a single flower variety, the know-how within the organization is extensive. Thanks to these meetings, any potential problems can be tackled together, making the association stronger. This partnership between growers also has other tangible benefits: When growers buy their supplies collectively, they can profit from wholesale transactions. 

In addition to mutual support, Colours of Nature uses various systems to compensate growers accordingly to the quality and quantity of their delivered products. The flowers are examined by the quality manager according to a set schedule, whose feedback is shared with the members on a weekly basis. This way, all growers know whether their products excel at certain criteria or if there are potential improvements which can be applied. Thanks to this shared effort, the products supplied by Colours of Nature consistently meet the set requirements. Thus, the association works together through all ups and downs, offering continuous and transparent assistance to its members. 

The knowledge and high degree of cooperation are made possible by the professionalism and commitment of the members. Colours of Nature has a great regard for sustainability and obligates their growers to, among others, obtain the MPS-ABC, MPS-SQ and MPS-GAP. certificates. The company manages these certificates for their growers via the Certifeye application, allowing all parties to streamline a large part of the required certificate management. Mark summarizes his experience with Certifeye: “The process is automated to such a degree that we hardly think about it anymore. We receive almost no certification related emails anymore, because everyone is subscribed to the right certificates and immediately receives renewed documents as they appear.”  

When asked about the future of the association, Mark answers with specific developments within Colours of Nature. With the arrival of EveryD Flowers Hoge Geest in January, the assortment of Colours of Nature has been expanded to include large-flowered gerberas. Is this the beginning of an expansion strategy for the organization? “The plan is to keep growing in a healthy and continuous way”, concludes Mark.