JH van der Vossen B.V. won the Greenovation Award 2019 on November 6th last year. The professional jury and the public both had a 50% share in the overall assessment and chose JH van der Vossen B.V. and their unique ECO concept. The Greenovation Award was a hot topic. In the end, the public cast 2,500 votes and together with the professional jury decided upon the winner. How are things going today at JH van der Vossen and what has the award brought them?
To much applause from the audience, father and son made their way to the front to receive the award. Both were very proud of this milestone and emphasised that they were able to win only thanks to the support and contributions of their team. Steven van Schilfgaarde described the concept as follows: "The unique ECO concept from JH van der Vossen B.V. is easy to use. The consumer can plant the plants, pot and all, in the soil; it is a plastic-free product and the pot and the label are completely biodegradable. It is a miracle mix." The plants are also MPS A+, MPS product proof and Global GAP certified. To date, this is the first concept within potted bulbs to be developed in this way.
Results after receiving the Greenovation Award
In addition to quite a bit of media attention, JH van der Vossen B.V. received extra orders from customers who started using the new product. They have also noticed that forward thinking is not always good enough for the demanding consumer. Nevertheless, retailers responded optimistically to JH van der Vossen's award-winning product. They started using it and immediately embraced this new introduction to the market. JH van der Vossen B.V underscores the importance of the Greenovation Award and sustainability in the sector in general: "Sustainability is always important, of course, and there's plenty of room for innovation! The big problem with innovation and becoming more sustainable is that it sometimes makes things more expensive and this is a delicate matter in the sector. That is not to say that such developments should not be encouraged. There is also a key role in this respect for the government to actively stimulate such initiatives".
Development ongoing
In the meantime, JH van der Vossen B.V. is busy working on new introductions and innovations. They have developed a new pot that is currently undergoing extensive testing. They have developed a new product for the tray as well. They continue to optimise their products and innovation and sustainability remain central to their philosophy. Royal FloraHolland calls on the sector to stimulate innovation and to continuously look for further optimisation opportunities. Sustainability is and will remain an important focus for the floriculture sector and despite all the good work, there are still gains to be made across the board.
Source: Royal FloraHolland