our impact
At oh! nènè we try to limit our environmental impact as much as possible. We don’t do this because it’s cool or a good marketing strategy, but because we deeply care. We critically look at every step of the process, from the seeds we use to the way we sell our products. On this page, we want to share how we run our business as transparently as possible.
what are our efforts?
Our process starts from sourcing the right seeds to grow our microgreens, and we have decided to work with organic seeds instead of conventional seeds for our business.
organic seeds
According to the European Commission’s website:
Organic farming is an agricultural method that aims to produce food using natural substances and processes. This means that organic farming tends to have a limited environmental impact as it encourages:
- the responsible use of energy and natural resources;
- the maintenance of biodiversity;
- preservation of regional ecological balances;
- enhancement of soil fertility;
- maintenance of water quality.
By sticking to the usage of organic seeds, we adhere to our values for environmental conservation by supporting European organic farmers in their endeavour for a better world. Even if at a small scale, our contribution supports the continuation of organic farming across the EU.
It is worth noting that organic farming has a lower yield than conventional farming (EU Commission factsheet), and we are aware it may impact our germination rate and profits. Nevertheless, we believe using organic seeds is the right move.
provenance and packaging
We tried looking for Belgian organic seed suppliers with no luck. Hence, we source our seeds from organic certified European-based producers in Italy. Our provider stores their seeds in big raffia material bags and delivers them to us in paper bags inside cardboard boxes. By doing this, we eliminate as much plastic waste as possible to obtain our seeds.

storage
We are looking for a solution to store our seeds on our farm to keep them safe that involves no plastic. We are currently talking with stainless steel drum manufacturers to find the best sustainable and durable material to store our seeds.
care to help?
Are you a supplier/producer of organic seeds, or know someone based close to Belgium or in Belgium? Would you please get in touch with us?
We use reusable mesh screens made from durable, recyclable plastic. After harvesting, we remove the roots from the screen and compost them. We then clean the screen, and it’s good as new to use again.
We prefer using reusable mesh screens over a medium like coconut coir, which is produced, packaged, and transported for just one use.
However, we would have preferred using reusable mesh screens made from stainless steel since steel can be recycled back to steel, but plastic can only be downcycled. After testing this technique, it became clear that the steel screens were less efficient to grow microgreens, but most importantly, they were complicated to clean. This was not a sustainable solution for us if we wanted to scale up.
We use Garland trays to grow our microgreens. They are made of high-quality recycled plastics, BPA-free and made to last. According to Garland, they should easily last ten years or more.
We are not lovers of plastic. However, we recognize that such a durable material can stand the test of time, reducing the production of new materials and waste management. We have selected these trays due to their durability, space optimization capabilities, and ideal design to grow and harvest our microgreens.
provenance and packaging
Garland is a company based in the United Kingdom, and they produce their trays there. We import their trays from the UK by train on a pallet. The pallet is surrounded by recycled plastic wrapping material to keep all the trays on the pallet.
We use boxes made of 100% stainless steel, without silicone or plastic. We love them because they are super durable. In case they ever need to be recycled, they can be converted back into stainless steel.
According to the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF):
Because of their durability and longevity, stainless steels are typically in use for many years before they become available for recycling. The average lifespan is estimated to be around 20 years, but there are examples of stainless steels in use for a century and beyond. All stainless steels still in use represent a valuable source of potentially recyclable raw material.
We try to minimise our environmental impact on our beautiful planet. We don’t want to use plastic packaging. Other alternatives like so-called bio-degradable or compostable packaging are not as sustainable as they seem upon further investigation. That’s why we decided to use a reusable box that is recyclable back to its original raw material, i.e. stainless steel.
stainless steel properties we like
Besides being a durable material that we can recycle over and over, there are many advantages to using stainless steel boxes to deliver our microgreens:
- Its smooth surface facilitates cleaning.
- It’s resistant to corrosion and ageing.
- It doesn’t stain with food.
- It doesn’t transfer any food smells to its contents.
- It’s fire-resistant.
- Its finishing is stylish and modern, but also practical.
- It doesn’t break or dent easily.
food grade
We use 304 stainless steel, the most common type of stainless steel used, especially for food applications. You probably have 304 stainless steel tools at home or have seen them regularly in your favourite salad bar.
provenance and packaging
Our boxes come from China, where our manufacturer produces the model we need for our microgreens. They are then shipped to Europe by train in cardboard boxes without plastics inside. We tried finding European manufacturers without luck.
care to help?
If you know any European-based stainless steel boxes manufacturer, please send us a message to hola@ohnene.be.
We use GreenGeeks to host our WordPress website. They are a web hosting company that actively tries to limit its environmental impact by putting energy back into the grid and planting trees, given the internet industry’s pollution on the planet.
zero-waste?
We acknowledge that achieving a 100% zero-waste business is a bit of an overstatement, and although we try our absolute best to get there, there is some debris left behind in our production chain.
what is our debris?
Although we have talked extensively with each of our manufacturers to remove waste, sometimes they cannot fulfil our requests mainly due to transportation logistics. When we order large amounts of goods, some of our manufacturers have to use pallets to move them, and hence, they wrap the goods in plastic, so it stays on top of the pallet. When we order smaller amounts of goods, they normally come in cardboard boxes closed with plastic tape.
what can we do?
We are not happy knowing that our business is responsible for non-reusable plastic waste. We will look for solutions to these problems, especially with our long-term partners.
care to help?
Making environmentally conscious decisions is not an easy task. There are many aspects to consider, and even though we try to investigate every choice we make carefully, it’s always possible that we missed something.
If you have a question or think we can improve, please send us a message at hola@ohnene.be. We genuinely would love to hear from you! Our promise to you is that we will be transparent about how we do things.
The lights we use to grow our microgreens are T5 LED grow fluorescent lamps with an aluminum fixture and a nano reflector to optimize the light distribution. T5 LED lamps are known for shallow energy consumption and long life duration (50000 hours) due to their ability to provide more light (lumen) with less space.
To keep good airflow and combat mold, common microgreen pathogens, pests, and root issues, we use small ventilators on our racks that gently keep the air flowing in our urban farm.
The ventilators are small, portable USB-powered fans made of plastic that consume little energy.