Jul 12, 2022

Dümmen Orange Releases First Sustainability Report

Dümmen Orange recently published its first Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report, which offers an overview of the company’s sustainability journey and provides a greater level of transparency and accountability for its actions.

“This report demonstrates our mission to be a leading, global ornamental horticulture company,” says Hugo Noordhoek Hegt, CEO. “We know that this cannot be done without careful consideration of our environmental footprint, and our impact on our employees and on those with whom we work closely.”

The report zooms in on Dümmen Orange’s three sustainability focus areas: environment, people and technology.

“Sustainability considerations are a factor in our decision-making process,” says Hugo Noordhoek Hegt. “Our purpose is to make a difference now and to see relevant change for the future, not only as a company ourselves, but also across the entire industry. This is not a matter of ‘decided today, settled tomorrow’ and I am the first to admit – or clarify, actually – that this is a journey. Focus is needed to move forward. In the area of environment, for instance, we decided to focus on minimizing chemical crop protection, recycling and reducing waste, managing water impact, and embracing carbon neutral horticulture.”

With its Breeding Technology Center in the Netherlands, reportedly the largest breeding laboratory in the world for ornamental crops, Dümmen Orange is well-positioned to drive sustainability through technological developments.

“Advanced technology enables us to breed and propagate ornamentals, which have more desirable traits at the source of the value chain, and thereby playing a role in improving sustainability throughout this value chain,” says Hans van den Heuvel, managing director of R&D. “Our Intrinsa plants, for instance, leverage natural genetics for better plant performance and advanced disease resistance, and therefore need less chemical protection. This allows for more sustainable and economical crops in the future. The combination of advanced hybridization techniques and traditional breeding creates economically viable plants for a greener future. The innovative technology we are harnessing at Dümmen Orange is really exciting and challenging, and as a leading breeder we are committed to making ornamentals more sustainable. We’re taking ornamental horticulture to the next level.”