For our products, we are expanding the use of rapidly renewable and regional raw materials. We conduct numerous cultivation trials to ensure the crop safety of newly developed substrates. In addition, we advise our customers on converting to peat-reduced substrates and have been developing peat-free substrates with our customers for years.
Gebr. Brill Substrate GmbH & Co KG is a family business from the county of Bentheim, Germany, with many years of experience in substrate production.
“The company considers responsibility for both the region and its employees of great importance. “”We want to offer our customers good, honest, safe products at a fair price and secure our employees’ jobs for the future.” This is how managing director Gerrit Brill explains the company’s philosophy.
Employee satisfaction:
Our employees are the heart of the company and make sure that everything works in everyday business: It is our motivated, efficient staff who are the basis of our success. In everyday life, small things are a matter of course for us. This includes a good working atmosphere, teamwork, flat hierarchies, employee events, continuing education promoted by the company, e-bike leasing options and much more.
Brill understands sustainability in a comprehensive way that goes beyond a sustainable product strategy. Thus, Brill includes social and societal responsibility in its corporate strategy and efforts, as well as the environment, climate and nature conservation.
Product strategy:
Due to its excellent properties, peat is an important, difficult-to-replace component in substrate production. Nevertheless, peat reduction is an important issue that is also being pushed by politics. We respond to this in the professional sector with our Green Life range (substrates with at least 30% peat substitute) and in the TerraBRILL gardening products segment with three new sustainable products. These substrates are ready to use, peat-free, organically/biologically fertilised and the packaging consists of at least 50% recycled plastic. Moreover, according to the cradle to customer approach, they are climate-neutral by offsetting the currently unavoidable CO2 emissions through comprehensible climate protection projects. As of this year, we can also supply our professional growing media climate-neutrally at customer request in return for a compensation contribution. With these measures, we are consciously and actively adapting to the many changes in horticulture and the demands of society with regard to bog, nature and climate protection.
Climate neutrality:
In addition to climate-neutral substrates, we also want to be climate-neutral in other areas. For example, all current advertising materials, from letterhead to business cards, are created and produced for us climate-neutrally.
Recycling:
Some packaging for growing media and gardening products already contains a proportion of recycled plastic. Packaging for climate-neutral substrates even consists of at least 50% recycled plastic. This portion should and will continue to grow in the future. At the same time, we always have the external and internal quality of the substrate in mind. This is important to us.
Green electricity:
Since 2 January 2015, we have been using only regenerative electricity at the Georgsdorf site. In this way we are making an important contribution to climate protection, relieving the environment and improving the company’s environmental balance.
Energy-saving conversions in the production area:
Throughout production, we have identified energy sources and implemented energy-saving measures wherever possible. This includes measures such as conversion of lighting to LEDs and the purchase of a new plant compressor in substrate production.
Digitisation:
Always within reach and without unnecessary paper consumption, we are pushing ahead with digitisation in accounting and internal sales. Step by step, this will do away with printed receipts and use stored information in defined areas. Here, too, we benefit from our ISO certification in the form of defined procedures and processes and have decided on this topic as a corporate goal for the next few years.”
Our team of experts will give you competent advice on our existing or individual solutions.
Brill and TerraBRILL are product brands for professional growing media and hobby substrates by Kekkilä-BVB, the European leader in horticulture. Kekkilä-BVB provides products and services for professional greenhouse growers, landscapers and consumers in more than 100 countries globally. We grow together with our customers for a better future.
