News » 11.09.2025 - Development of a quality label for responsible coir production
Due to the increasing number of growers who are switching to coco-based substrates, there is also a greater need for a quality label for responsible coco production. For this reason, the coco sector, led by the RHP, started developing a certification scheme in 2023: Responsibly Produced Coir (RPC).
Growing demand for substrate
The demand for sustainably produced substrate is growing rapidly driven by changing demands from the retail sector and from critical consumers who increasingly value sustainably produced or sourced products. Coco is an important raw material for growing media used to grow and propagate vegetables, ornamental plants and soft fruit, for example. This has led to an increasing demand for sustainable coco substrate production.
Draft scheme
The first kick-off meeting was held in mid-2023. A year later, a working group of thirteen coco production companies, Glastuinbouw Nederland and the certifying body IMO Control has established a draft scheme for the RPC quality label. The draft certification scheme describes social and environmental aspects relevant to sustainable coco production. These criteria include a safe working environment, proper treatment of wastewater and efficient energy use.
Paul Offerman, coco substrate quality manager, has been involved in creating the certification scheme on behalf of Van der Knaap Group from the outset. "Development of a scheme like this is vital if you want to move forward as an industry," according to Paul. "Certification and a quality label place different requirements on companies in areas that include the environment, social (human) rights, management and governance."
Stakeholders
"In the Netherlands, many coco production companies are involved in the scheme. This demonstrates the wide support, but also makes it much more feasible to establish a certification scheme," says Paul. The draft scheme has been presented to a group of international stakeholders, such as traders, retailers, NGOs and trade associations. The stakeholders seem to be very positive about the scheme so far.
Van der Knaap Group have already taken major steps in recent years to ensure they can produce coco substrate as sustainably as possible. Water consumption has been reduced during the production process and water treatment facilities have been installed that make the water suitable for irrigation. The company keeps the transport distances to the sales market as short as possible and compact the coco products for an efficient logistics process. On top of that, coco can be recycled to give it a second life. Developments have also taken place concerning social objectives.
Pilot phase
The pilot phase started in October 2024 and is intended to test the scheme and the interpretation of the criteria in practice. Van der Knaap is participating in the pilot at the Growrite site in Sri Lanka. Paul: "This is an ideal opportunity to try out the certification scheme in practice. The results will be discussed after the pilot phase and any improvement points will be incorporated into the definitive scheme. We have taken a very pragmatic approach: our aim is to create a scheme that is appropriate and suitable for the industry and the countries where we produce." Companies are expected to be able to start implementing the scheme in the course of 2025.
Source: www.floraldaily.com
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