On World Environment Day, Koppert Cress commits to climate-positive business practices, The next step in her climate strategy

The move towards becoming climate-positive stems from years of investment in emissions reduction, fossil-free energy and sustainable innovations. By switching to geothermal energy and implementing other measures, Koppert Cress is reducing its direct emissions to zero. The remaining emissions are offset by 125% through a combination of climate projects.

For Koppert Cress, climate positivity is not an end point, but a direction. Reducing CO₂ emissions remains the top priority. Offsetting is not a substitute for reduction, but a conscious step towards taking responsibility for emissions that cannot yet be fully prevented today.

"Nowadays, sustainability is largely measured in CO₂ equivalents. We therefore also view our emissions from an accounting perspective. By the term ‘climate-positive’, we mean that we sequester more CO₂ than our business emits. The term ‘regenerative horticulture’ originates from agriculture. When a piece of land sequesters more CO₂ each year, we refer to it as regenerative. Horticulture is known for its innovative nature. That is why we combine natural processes with technical solutions to sequester CO₂ and store it long-term,” says Stijn Baan.

At the end of each year, Koppert Cress produces a forecast of the expected CO₂ emissions for the following year, based on real-time data and anticipated business activities. This forecast is multiplied by 1.25. This figure is then used to determine how much CO₂ needs to be sequestered in order to operate in a climate-positive manner. From 1 January, Koppert Cress began actively offsetting these emissions.

In 2026, Koppert Cress will offset its carbon footprint through initiatives including regenerative agriculture (Horaholm), natural insulation materials (GreenDutch), CO₂ storage in growing beds (Erfgoed) and tree planting (Tree-Nation). For World Environment Day 2026, the company has planted a further 28,000 trees in its forests worldwide.

Koppert Cress is proud of this step, but realises that the approach is not yet perfect. There are significant differences in quality, credibility and price between the various climate projects from which carbon credits are derived. The organisation therefore awards itself a bronze medal for its current strategy. The gold and silver medals have not yet been awarded. A good start and a continuing commitment to further improve the approach every year. Proud of the steps being taken now, whilst at the same time recognising that there is still room for improvement in terms of transparency.

World Environment Day is an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between people, business and the environment. For Koppert Cress, this is not merely a symbolic occasion, but a chance to demonstrate how a company can take responsibility for its environmental impact. Not by waiting until everything is perfect, but by measuring, reducing, offsetting and remaining transparent about the choices made along the way.

You can’t achieve climate-positive business practices on your own. Koppert Cress invites partners, growers and innovators to contribute their ideas and help build a horticultural sector that not only causes less harm, but actively contributes to recovery. The future demands more than just reducing emissions. That is why Koppert Cress has chosen to go beyond carbon neutrality.