We know that there are lots of, you know,
environmental
sustainability aspects that are
on people's mind and even the
general public's mind. Where is my food coming
from? Who's growing my
food? Is my food safe to eat?
The sustainability
measurements in the horticultural sector
change quite rapidly.
There is a lot of attention for
the sector. I think we
have quite a green image,
but we need to maintain that image.
Of course, substrate is one thing that plays a role in sustainability.
So Kekkilä-BVB delivers the substrate to us.
We use it, and after cultivation, it's picked up again by Kekkilä-BVB.
They treat it and reuse it further down the chain.
We're in a sense not really consuming substrate,
instead, we temporarily borrow it from Kekkilä-BVB.
At this moment we're the only company that can produce
carbon-neutral mushrooms. There's no-one else who can say that!
No other producers do that.
Together, we can plunder everything that Mother Earth has to offer...
...but we can also try to give something back!
We're for example also re-using the compost at the bottom of the bed.
Today, we can grow crops in open soil in a very sustainable way,
without the use of chemical fertilizers.
It's going to come
down to making sure that
with anything that we're putting in our system:
Can we reuse it? Can we reduce it?
And, are we using
the highest quality items there are?
Because, you tend to get better use
and longer life out
of higher quality products.
So, sustainability is going to become a key
issue as we go, because
consumers are going to start asking more questions
down to the granular level
of who's growing my food and
what are they doing to protect the land that they're on?
And to protect the resources that they're
putting into their operation?
The future will bring us new methods to grow plants in
other materials.
Together, we want to work on a substrate
which is sustainable and good for the plant production.
That means we are now using a lot of peat in our soil...
and that's the reason we want to develop a new kind of soil, which is still
good enough to grow our young plants.
Kekkilä-BVB has conducted experiments in the laboratories to use alternative raw materials to create high-quality press blocks.
Press blocks are largely made of peat.
In the past, they were actually entirely made of peat.
We wanted to explore how we could start using more alternative raw materials,
without having to make big adjustments to the cultivation and processing methods.
Now we can create press blocks that are fit for the future!
One way in which we incorporate sustainability in our practices is
by making our climbing stick more sustainable.
This climbing stick is composed of potato peels and miscanthus.
They can be composted (industrially).
The sticks also store and hold carbon.
This creates a natural cycle.
In terms of environmental footprint, we're moving forward every day.
Sustainability also means for us that we try to make
the heavy work as light as possible,
...as enjoyable as possible.
We help the people who work in the field with
mechanical lifting.
We have cranes, and automated
cutting machines to prune the plants...
Keep the people safe and healthy,
and keep the planet healthy as well.