Social employer
The social aspect plays a major role at Gova. We believe that everyone should have the chance of meaningful employment. Half of the team in our nursery consists of people who experience additional barriers in the labour market. These are employees who face challenges due to a physical or learning disability, or a mental health issue, meaning they require extra guidance in the work process.
At Gova:
- Everyone works together: employees with or without occupational disabilities, students and trainees.
- We deploy internal job coaches who know the company and the work and who work in the team themselves.
- Team leaders follow various training sessions, including the ‘I am Harrie- training’ from the young people's trade union CNV Jongeren.
- We offer great on-the-job guidance and regular progress meetings.
- Work adjustments are possible such as a part-time working option, clear explanations that account for different communication needs and an adapted work pace.
- Partners, parents and/or support workers of the employees are actively engaged.
Acclaimed employer
Our inclusive employment practices have not gone unnoticed. We received the Participatieprijs West-Brabant (West-Brabant Participation Prize) in October 2017. We are ambassadors for Participeren Loont (It Pays To Participate) and Brabants Besten (Best of Brabant), and we also provide information to other entrepreneurs to encourage them to pursue an inclusive labour policy.
In May 2021, we were awarded the Groene Pluim, which is given to companies that set a good example in sustainability and in the social field.
A sustainable network
We have built an extensive network that we work with to help employees find and keep sustainable employment. In addition to intensive collaborations with external job coaches and reintegration coaches, we work closely with:
A sustainable environment
Because we believe it is important to grow our plants in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way:
- We reuse the water used to water our plants, both in the greenhouses and in our fields.
- We continuously measure the moisture levels in the pots with many sensors and thus provide exactly the right amount of water for each plant.
- We connect each plant in our fields to a dripper, so that all the water goes into the pot and not next to it.
- We recycle packaging and growing materials.
- We use as many natural means of pest control as possible to combat diseases and pests. If we do need crop protection for optimal plant health, we make a conscious choice. Of course, this is in accordance with the established standards, rules and guidelines.
- We founded a start-up that specializes in valorizing residual flows from the agricultural sector.
- We mark nests of young birds in bay trees so that everyone stays away and the hatchlings can grow up properly.
- We sow flower borders in and around the nursery for beneficial insects and biodiversity.
- We are also beekeepers and have several bee colonies at the nursery.
Our certifications
GLOBALG.A.P. Fruit & Vegetables
For delivery to supermarkets or other retailers, GLOBALG.A.P. F&V is an excellent certificate confirming proper and safe production, and the safety and hygiene of products. The certification scheme meets the requirements for the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), which benchmarks a vast array of standards and certifications.
MPS-Socially Qualified
Good working conditions play an important role for many traders and consumers. For floriculture, they are also looking for a safe cultivation method and product origin. International supermarket chains are also increasingly focusing on the social aspects of business operations, in addition to environmental requirements.
MPS-A
This certification aims to encourage sustainable business practices by providing a ‘yardstick’ that demonstrates the extent to which business practices are environmentally friendly. Every day we record any fertilizers and plant protection agents we have used, and that is compared to the standards for our plant species. MPS-ABC is made up of several levels, namely MPS-A, MPS-B and MPS-C, with MPS-A being the most environmentally friendly. We are proud to say that we have held this ‘A’ status for many years.
MPS-ProductProof
All kinds of certificates are only valuable if you communicate about them transparently. MPS-ProductProof is a system where the use of crop protection agents is recorded within 24 hours and independent sampling can demonstrate that certain active substances have not been used in cultivation. We publish the results of these sampling visits and analyses publicly through MPS, and they are available for anyone to view. Traders, retailers and consumers demand transparency, and we as a grower can provide it.
