Frequently Asked Questions 

The independent label On the way to PlanetProof proves that you buy a product that is produced more sustainable and is therefore a better choice for nature, climate and animals. Farmers, horticulturists and other companies use the quality label to work towards a production that is in balance with the carrying capacity of our planet. They are taking steps to reduce the burden on the earth. Step by step, they are making the entire sector more sustainable. The quality label is available for dairy products, potatoes, fruit and vegetables, eggs, flowers, plants, trees, flower bulbs and processed products.

What we do now has consequences for later. On the way to PlanetProof sets strict requirements for animals, nature, and the environment. In this way, On the way to PlanetProof helps farmers, horticulturists and other companies contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Various countries worldwide have agreed on goals to make our planet more sustainable. On the way to PlanetProof is a tool to make an entire sector – from dairy and eggs to floriculture and plant products – more sustainable.

The requirements for climate, for example, also contribute to the agreements in the Paris Agreement on climate change. The aim of this agreement is to reduce CO2 emissions by 49% by 2030. Step by step we are working together to make our planet more sustainable.

You can find the label On the way to PlanetProof on potatoes, vegetables and fruit, flowers and plants, a wide range of dairy products (such as milk, yogurt, butter and cheese), eggs and processed products.

You can buy products with the quality label On the way to PlanetProof in all supermarkets in the Netherlands. More and more foreign supermarkets are offering On the Way to PlanetProof products too.

Food safety is already guaranteed by other certification schemes (including GlobalG.A.P.). That is why there is no separate theme within On the way to Planetproof. The focus is on nature, climate and animal welfare.

A certification scheme consists of the requirements that a producer must meet in order to obtain the On the way to PlanetProof certificate.

SMK stimulates the sustainability of products and services by developing and managing certification schemes. SMK is committed to independent and high-quality scheme management. SMK works according to a careful and transparent process. Certification takes place under the supervision of the Dutch Accreditation Council. To promote confidence in the quality of scheme development and management, SMK also allows itself to be audited. SMK is a member of the Association of Scheme Administrators and complies with the Dutch Technical Agreement /NTA 8813. An external assessor checks SMK every two years.

A product or service receives a certificate if it meets all the requirements of On the way to PlanetProof. These requirements are described in a certification scheme. SMK develops and manages various certification schemes and is therefore a scheme manager. SMK does not issue certificates and quality labels itself, but has this done by external, specialized certification bodies (CBs). A CB has a license for a certification scheme and carries out independent checks for this with the certificate holders of On the way to PlanetProof. Only when the product or service meets all the requirements of the certification scheme, the organisation receives a certificate from the certification body.

The certificate holders are checked every year by independent certification bodies. The inspection shows whether the certificate holder receives the certificate for On the way to PlanetProof or not.

Read more about certification via the web page Certify. Here you will find the certification scheme for each sector, helpful documents and a step-by-step plan.

The requirements are getting stricter every year. The aim is to make the various sectors step by step more sustainable.

By using green agents fewer crop protection products (which are more environmentally damaging) have to be used. Growers of On the way to PlanetProof products can always choose to use these less environmentally damaging agents if these are permitted by law. In the scheme, there is a list of green agents and low-risk substances. All agents on this list (list 2b from the certification scheme) have to receive official acceptance as a crop protection agent from the Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). This list may not include biostimulants, wetting agents, plant invigorators, etc.

Agents that are allowed by law, but not included on list 2b, are used at the grower’s own risk and responsibility. In the certification scheme, the use of these agents is rewarded through the selection measures and requirements listed below:

• Easier compliance with requirement 2.10 (active substance limit)
• Lower active substance use: 1 to 2 bonus points (requirement 2.31)
• Use of alternative measures for non-chemical control of airborne diseases and infestations: 2 to 5 bonus points (requirement 2.21)
• Use of alternative measures for non-chemical control of nematodes and other soil-related diseases and infestations: 3 bonus points for each measure (requirement 2.22)
• No use of chemical plant protection products: 10 points (requirement 2.24)

No, there is no (legal) obligation to use On the way to PlanetProof. However, buyers may use it as a delivery condition.

There are two international certification schemes: On the way to PlanetProof Plant Products, and Chain of Custody.

If you want to have your product certified or trade in certified products as a trading party or shop, you must meet all requirements from the relevant certification scheme. Look here for the certificate scheme.

As a trading company that receives an On the way to PlanetProof product, it is indeed possible to package it for the consumer with the On the way to PlanetProof logo. If you are the owner of the product, it is a condition that you yourself as a packer/trading company are certified for On the way to PlanetProof. 

Yes, there is an emergency settlement within On the way to PlanetProof. In the event of calamities, it is possible to obtain an exemption from a requirement within On the way to PlanetProof. Because decisions must be taken quickly in the event of calamities, the authority to grant an exemption has been vested in a committee of three independent experts. One of them is also a member of the College of Plant Experts.

See form for Plant products.

If a certificate holder does not meet the requirements, and if, for example, a grower has used an unauthorized product , this will come up during the inspection. In the case of minor violations,  a time period is given to correct mistakes; in the case of serious violations, the certificate will be revoked or not granted. 

No, we have strict requirements for the use of the logo. These can be found in the instruction sheet. The logo may be displayed in the petrol blue variant or a black variant for application on a light-colored background.

You can request the logo here.

Yes, to participate in On the way to PlanetProof there is a one-time registration fee and an annual remittance. There are also costs for the annual inspection by the certification body. See also the web page Fees.

Yes, On the way to PlanetProof has been assessed by the Dutch organization Milieu Centraal as a top quality label for food.

Milieu Centraal examined all quality labels and company logos for food. The assessments can be found in the ‘Keurmerkenwijzer’. In the end, 12 quality labels turned out to be the best. These top-quality labels set strict requirements for the environment, fair trade, and animal welfare. They are well supervised and are clear about what they are doing.

• It is strict (ambitious): the requirements go much further than average (which is ‘normal’ in the sector).
• It is transparent: the requirements are easy to find on the website, they are clear and concrete. In short: you know what the quality label stands for.
• It is reliable: there is independent control by an organization approved by the Dutch Accreditation Council. The inspections are unannounced and take

SMK, the organisation behind On the way to PlanetProof, is a non-profit organization and does not make profit on this quality label.

The certificate holders are inspected regularly by an independent certification body. SMK manages On the way to PlanetProof. The Dutch Council of Accreditation checks its working method.

If a producer does not meet the requirements, or if, for example, a farmer has used an unauthorized product, this will come up during the inspection. This takes place around the harvest of the product. In that situation, the product will not be certified with On the way to PlanetProof.

With On the way to PlanetProof we are working towards an agriculture and horticulture that is in balance with the carrying capacity of our planet, with as much as possible closed cycles of raw materials and valued by society and in the market.

Together with farmers, horticulturists, supermarkets and others, we are working towards a more sustainable world. Products with the On the way to PlanetProof quality label meet strict requirements in the field of 8 themes. These requirements are in line with the Paris Agreement and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. This means that the criteria go beyond the European legislation. Every year we review these requirements and refine them where possible.

On the way to PlanetProof is a quality label for more sustainable products. A certificate holder can state this quality label on the certified products. The producer is responsible for the packaging that is used.

Within On the way to PlanetProof, sustainability requirements have of course been set for that packaging. Plastic is not excluded – under certain conditions. Packaging is often necessary for protecting the product, extending the shelf life, making it transportable and stating product information (such as a quality label logo). The waste plastic can then be offered separately by consumers for recycling.

Ascertain the situation
Based on the monitoring of crop protection agent registration, stocks of agents and purchase invoices, the Certification Body determines which of the following situations applies. The Certification Body takes a second sample and/or specific counter sample to verify the situation.

The grower has used the active substance.
The Certification Body establishes that there is a shortcoming: this is a Critical major. The Certification Body revokes the certificate and possibly stipulates a one-year exclusion.

The grower has not used the active substance and can prove this.
The Certification Body revokes the identified shortcoming.
The grower describes actions to be taken to prevent this situation in the future.

The grower states that it has not used the active substance, but cannot prove this.
1. A written statement from an external expert is submitted, in which it is stated that the detected active substance detected is not relevant/customary/authorised for cultivation and is also not used in practice (grower);
2. Is there a statement for the use of the substance?
o Yes: written statement by the grower and possibly an expert about the possible cause (researcher, analysis laboratory);
o No: from own investigation into the causes of the detected residue excesses, no clear explanation can be given (grower);
3. Actions to be taken to prevent this in the future (grower).

Final decision
Based on the result of the guidelines, the Certification Body provides a final decision (confirmation or revocation of the shortcoming) and informs SMK about this. If there is any doubt, the documents will be submitted to SMK for assessment.

Yes, SMK is an independent non-profit organisation. SMK stimulates the sustainability of products and services by developing and managing certification schemes. SMK is committed to independent and high-quality scheme management. SMK works according to a careful and transparent process. To promote confidence in the quality of scheme development and management, SMK allows itself to be audited. SMK is a member of the Association of Scheme Administrators and complies with the Dutch Technical Agreement /NTA 8813. An external assessor checks SMK every two years.