FIT FOR THE FUTURE Sustainable sourcing Director of Sourcing, Sustainability & Marketing Alice van Veen remarks: “European consumers’ preferences and the retail landscape are changing at lightning speed. Now that consumers are becoming more aware of the impact of their purchases, retailers expect us to supply a reliable and sustainably produced product. A future-proof plant category requires us to continuously innovate our products and services.” Plant category optimisation Royal Lemkes must structurally optimise its sourcing strategy to respond to the needs of a changing world. Sourcing is no longer just about pot size, loading, flowering stage and pricing. Plants have evolved into complete products that have to meet a multitude of national and international standards regarding certification, legislation, environment, traceability and sustain ability. Sustainability Manager Elise Wieringa notes: “This means suppliers must deliver a very specific range of products.” As a plant service partner, we work closely with our selected growers and sub-vendors to ensure a distinctive assortment that closely matches the retailer's business formula. Our aim is to maximise shelf performance with a sustainable and reliable product. A product we can be proud of and which makes a positive contribution to tackling Alice van Veen Director Sourcing, Sustainability & Marketing social and environmental challenges. It is becoming increasingly important to share and record data on growers and their products across our supply chain network, including information on product origin, certified production sites, plant protection products and packaging materials. This data pro vides valuable information when assessing how and where carbon reductions can be made in the supply chain. 14
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