To enable the international use of the certification mark 'Milieukeur', SMK introduced a new name during its Jubilee Event on 11 May: on the way to PlanetProof. “The Milieukeur name wasn’t very international. Many products are sold abroad, where the name couldn’t even be pronounced. Moreover, we want to indicate that we think about more topics than just the environment,” says manager Gijs Dröge.
According to the manager, more and more import products are marketed under the Milieukeur certificate. “For example, vegetable processors want to offer their supply to retail under Milieukeur certification year-round. Because of that, the certification has gained momentum in southern countries. Overseas import products, such as South African citrus, are already supplied under Milieukeur. Companies and retailers can also be certified for using PlanetProof.”
Gijs Dröge (SMK) and Richard Schouten (GroentenFruit Huis).
“Interest in the Netherlands is enormous, driven by demand from the buyers. To us, the most important aim is to steer the scaling-up in the right direction, but if international interest increases, we will become even busier,” Dröge realised. He hasn’t experienced particular interest from certain product groups. “However, we have noticed it’s relatively easy for greenhouse vegetable growers to become certified because of the controlled environment they grow in. That’s different from fruit, because conditions aren’t controlled as much.”
PlanetProof is a different name for Milieukeur, and both names will continue to exist alongside each other for now. The demands made from the certificates are identical and require additional efforts in production to push back the environmental impact. The requirements concern, among other things, fertilisers, crop protection, water, energy and biodiversity. According to the manager, growers are not facing unreasonable requirements. “Our Board of Experts is doing serious research into whether it’s economically feasible to ban certain products.”