Blog: Our journey creating cross-sectoral awareness on the role that high-tech greenhouses can play in circular economies 

Jessie-Lynn van Egmond
Water & Sustainability Manager

When it comes to creating circular economies and integrating different sectors, technology is not the limiting factor, awareness and collaboration is

When I started working in the horticultural industry, almost four years ago, I was mesmerized by the high levels of technology and possibilities when it came to growing crops. As an engineer, I had a technical background, but I was not prepared seeing lettuce in fully automated systems extending over hectares of “untouched” baby leaves, or tomatoes and bell peppers that can be grown in the world’s coldest regions, but also in the world’s harshest deserts. Rapid innovation became the backbone of my daily work.

When Covid hit, I also witnessed the global shift that happened where the world got more interested in food security and self-sufficiency, moving away from import dependence using high-tech greenhouses, propelling our R&D department further.

At first, I focused my efforts on optimizing recycling practices inside the greenhouses: “How can we integrate new technologies in our existing greenhouse to help recover resources? How can we use even less water than we already do?” But it was not long before I got swept away by a different topic: the role that high-tech greenhouses can play in enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration and circular economies.

From linear to circular economies with high-tech greenhouses

When you do not just see a high-tech greenhouse as a ‘black box’ where resources go in, and fruits and vegetables come out, there is a world of circularity and collaboration that opens. High-tech greenhouses can be positioned in a way where they are an essential link in creating circular ecosystems, key in building a holistic bridge across the water-energy-food nexus and waste sector. I was slightly amazed with how little awareness there was for this form of implementing greenhouses, outside of our own horticultural industry.

Why are these types of projects not implemented more, and to a broader extent?

In essence, everything that a high-tech greenhouse needs to grow crops are four key input streams: water, energy, nutrients and CO₂, which can all be obtained from urban, agricultural or industrial waste streams. The beauty herein lies that greenhouse projects using individual waste streams already exist. They are concrete examples of what can happen when the water, energy, food and waste sectors come together to join hands. So this brought with it the following questions: “Why are these types of projects not implemented more, and to a broader extent? And why don't high-tech greenhouses, as a standard, use multiple waste streams if the technologies to do this are already proven?”

To better understand this, a small team from Van der Hoeven ventured out, not just beyond the walls of our headquarters, but beyond the confines of our own sector, embarking on a journey far beyond our customary international food and greenhouse network.

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