Hishtil’s Path to Carbon Footprint Reduction

One of Hishtil’s core visions is to become a leading and innovative nursery firm to provide horticultural solutions and improve the quality of food and the environment.
Currently, one of the most important issues multinational companies face today is the pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. Hishtil embraces this goal as they believe sustainability is the only way forward.
A few years ago, Hishtil’s management decided to meet the challenge head-on, by reexamining every single process, material, and facility across the company’s operations.

We’d like to share here a few of the measures that Hishtil has undertaken.

Digital trasformation
Customers and suppliers visiting Hishtil’s stand at the IPM Essen 2024 tradeshow were surprised not to find Hishtil’s latest annual printed Catalog, which had become an essential exhibit since Hishtil first participated in the IPM exhibition.
Transition to a digital catalog is only one step in Hishtil’s overall shift towards reducing waste and energy consumption. In addition, switching from printed media to online advertising, increased activity on social networks and email marketing campaigns, bringing use of paper down to the bare minimum.
In the words of Haim Rosenblum, the company’s Marketing Manager, “We use print only when absolutely necessary and then only on recycled paper. Every action counts.”
Even the packaging materials used in trade shows for transportation, delivery, and display of products, are all biodegradable, recycled, recyclable, or reusable.

Hishtil’s new eco-friendly digital catalog

Helping Customers Confront Climate Change While Going Greener at Home
Global warming is the cause of many negative phenomena, such as desertification, extreme climate change, and natural disasters have led Hishtil to focus on introducing innovative products that are more resilient to changing conditions.
As a global leader in the professional vegetative propagation of herbs, Hishtil is at the forefront of agricultural innovation and continuously develops cutting edge horticultural solutions to meet the customers changing needs, with the firm commitment to a greener future.
For example, the Durabello series and grafted plants that are suitable for cultivation under arid conditions.

Improved use of Energy
A. Finding Alternative Sources with Lower Emissions
Hishtil embraces reducing emissions and energy consumption policy a priority. This could only be achieved by searching for alternative sources of energy, materials, and production technologies, or in other words, re-examining every single component of the value chain, including product packaging, marketing/merchandising aids, and services.

Histhil’s production facility in Ashkelon switched to natural gas heating, thus achieving enormous savings in fuel oil. Another measure that was installed in the last two years at this site were solar energy panels on the roofs of the warehouses and other structures, it generates almost enough electricity to power all of the nurseries dispersed facilities.

The Afula nursery switched to heating its greenhouses with hot water from a neighboring factory, which is then re-circulated. This process results in double savings—Hishtil does not need to consume new energy for heating, and the plant next door saves on the energy required to cool the water. The best part is that these enormous savings in fuel came at nearly zero cost!

Solar Energy Panels at Ashkelon nursey

Furthermore, Hishtil presented two additional sustainable innovations in the production process of energy savings. The first—switching from diesel to electricity in the tray washing and disinfection machines, a less polluting alternative. The second—installing a smart precision climate control system to maintain ideal conditions according to changing environmental factors, using far less energy.
Additional means of environmentally friendly practices that were adopted by Hishtil include: The use of energy-efficient air blowers, electric forklifts instead of diesel-powered equipment, and Hybrid and electric vehicles in the company fleet.

B. Reducing Emissions with Eco-friendly Packaging in its Home Market Activity
Among the changes implemented, one of the most significant was the transition to recycled materials for plastic planting pots and trays.
Using recycled and recyclable growing trays, as opposed to non-recyclable styrofoam, saves hundreds of tons of crude oil every year.
Hishtil also transitioned from packaging in cartons to using carriers and cages that are transported back to back from the customers for repeated use.

Limex rinsing and disinfecting machine, designed for repeated cleaning of plastic trays

Haim explains: “Hishtil is committed to Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policy, reflecting in a comprehensive approach to sustainability, emphasizing recycled packaging materials and production means.”
All waste produced on-site is collected, separated into different categories, and centrally transferred for recycling.
After several years of commitment to carbon footprint reduction in all its areas of operation, marketing, production, packaging, transportation, among others, the company’s achievements are impressive by all measures.

Hishtil is not only addressing the immediate challenges of sustainable horticultural but hopes to pave the way and inspire other industry partners to follow this path for a greener future in the agricultural production.

Look forward to our new article announcing Hishtil’s ongoing commitment to reduced pesticide use, restoring green spaces, efficient usage of water, and many more.