ISO14001

Since 2012, Paardekooper BV, as an organization, has been ISO14001 Environmental Management certified. Last year, Paardekooper Horti BV was added to this certification, and the certification was expanded with the CO₂ reduction management module.

ETI base code

Our Horti division is ETI certified. ETI stands for Ethical Trading Initiative and is a set of internationally recognised labour standards that aim to promote ethical working conditions in global supply chains. The ETI base code covers a wide range of labour rights, including freedom of association, fair wages and safe working conditions.

QA-CER

Paardekooper is QA-CER certified. This means the purchasing, sales and distribution of all our recycled products, which demonstrably contain 30% or more recycled material, fall under the requirements of QA-CER certificate.

EcoVadis

Our sustainability efforts earned us a silver EcoVadis medal in 2024. EcoVadis is a platform that enables companies to evaluate the sustainability performance of their suppliers, manage risks, and encourage eco-innovations in their global supply chains. By participating in the EcoVadis supplier assessment, we provide customers with insight into our sustainability efforts.

BRCGS

This standard sets specific food safety and quality requirements for organisations in the storage and distribution sector that trade in food. Paardekooper supplies to food producers and large retailers, so this is explicitly demanded by our customers.

BSCI

We are a member of the amfori BSCI initiative, which shows that we are committed to a responsible approach as regards working conditions throughout the supply chain. Our goal is to only purchase from BSCI-affiliated suppliers in high-risk countries. As of 31 December 2024, we had 84.5% BSCI coverage and a total of 92% social compliance coverage through other platforms such as Sedex. We ensure that all the suppliers for whom we are responsible undergo timely re-auditing.

FSC

The international, independent FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) quality mark ensures raw materials for wood and paper products come from responsibly-managed forests. Our goal is to source more than 95% of our paper, wood, cardboard and bamboo products from outside Europe and bearing the FSC quality mark by the end of 2025. At the end of 2024, 91.9% of these items had the FSC quality mark, based on purchased kilos.