We have sown our first flower meadows on our farmland as we step up our commitment to promote biodiversity across our sourcing areas. We will launch ten biodiversity projects by 2030 as part of our ambitious sustainability plans. The first project saw us introduce 10 large bee hotels in 2022 and we are now working to establish six hectares of annual flower meadows in our Dutch, German, and Belgian growing areas.
Promoting pollination
The first meadows have been sown in the Netherlands and feature a variety of plants including phacelia, sunflowers, Persian and Alexandrian clover, buckwheat, vetch, serradella, lupine, and summer barley. This carefully selected combination is designed to attract insects such as bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and weevils. The results so far have been highly promising, with a diverse range of insects already identified in the field.
Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT Group, said: “Enhancing biodiversity in our sourcing areas provides wide-ranging benefits. Vibrant ecosystems support pollination, provide greater resilience against challenges like extreme weather events and plant disease, and act as a natural defense against common agricultural pests. We also use integrated pest management to minimize pesticide use, which provides further benefits for biodiversity.”
Updates on our actions
We will continue to provide updates on all our biodiversity initiatives as we work to help build a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem.
Our annual sustainability report features details on the progress we are making toward all 17 targets we have set out.
