The AIPH Sustainability Conference, to be held on Tuesday 2nd April, as part of this year’s International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) Spring Meeting in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, will feature presentations from retailers, traders, growers and manufacturers, from around the world, to discuss the use of plastics in ornamental horticulture.
The imperative to address the use of plastic in the ornamental horticulture supply chain (pots, sleeves, trays, buckets, greenhouse cladding etc.) comes from a variety of directions – environmental impact, increasing consumer demand, prospective legislation and the need to plan for a future sustainable industry.
Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of AIPH says “The industry is always looking at how it can be more sustainable. This conference will focus on the high profile topic of plastics so that together we can find solutions for the future.” The event’s keynote speaker Dr. David Bek, Reader in Sustainable Economies at Coventry University, UK, will address the social and environmental drivers of sustainability, consumer behaviour and developments in other industries.
Brett Avery of Farplants and Martin Simmons of the UK’s Horticultural Trades Association will look at UK grower’s initiative to improve recycling of plant pots. Yme Pasma, COO at Royal FloraHolland (RFH) will present the role of the ‘Plastic Pact’ in the Netherlands and initiatives underway in the auction market to improve sustainability in packaging and plastics involved in logistics. Sven Hoping, CEO of German pot manufactures Pöppelmann, will outline German legislation and how the company has closed the plastic recycling loop. Professor Charlie Hall of Texas A&M University will add further academic input to the programme with a North American perspective.
The full-day programme will conclude with a panel discussion on how the industry needs to change which will include Professor Charlie Hall, Jeroen Oudheusden of Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) and Piet Briet of RFH. Further speakers will be added to the conference programme in the coming weeks. The up-to-date programme is published at: www.aiph.org.
The four-day AIPH Spring Meeting will also include the AIPH Expo conference (1st April) which will provide updates on forthcoming International Horticultural Exhibitions including Expo 2019 Beijing (China), Expo 2021 Doha (Qatar), Expo 2022 Floriade Almere (the Netherlands) and Expo Horticultural Łódź 2024 (Poland). Two days of professional visits to the Dutch Flower Group; the RFH Spring Fair; a site-tour of Floriade Almere and a visit to stunning Keukenhof – ‘The Garden of Europe’ also forms part of the 2019 AIPH Spring Meeting programme.
The AIPH Sustainability Conference and Spring Meeting are open to anyone with a relevant interest or involvement in these areas. AIPH events provide a welcoming and invaluable opportunity for knowledge-sharing, idea-generation and networking for members in the horticulture industry worldwide.
For programme details and to book, visit: www.aiph.org. For event enquiries email Vanessa Stockton, AIPH Events Manager: events@aiph.org.
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