Frequently Asked Questions 

On the way to PlanetProof is an independent quality label for products such as eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruit, flowers and plants.

When you see the On the way to PlanetProof quality label on a product or plant, you can be confident that it meets additional criteria for nature, climate, and animal welfare. These criteria cover topics such as energy and climate, crop protection, biodiversity, water, and animal welfare. Independent certification bodies regularly check compliance with these criteria.

The quality label has been developed and is managed by SMK.

What we do now has consequences for later. On the way to PlanetProof sets strict criteria 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 environmentally friendly.

The criteria 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.

Certified products with the label include potatoes, fruit and vegetables, a large range of dairy products (such as milk, yoghurt, butter and cheese) and eggs. More and more flowers and plants are also being grown under On the Way to PlanetProof.

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 contains the criteria that producers, growers and businesses must meet to obtain cetification under the On the way to PlanetProof label.

SMK develops and manages these certification schemes to encourage improvements in the environmental performance of products and services. The organisation follows a careful and transparent process to ensure that criteria remain relevant, robust and credible.

Certification is carried out by independent certification bodies under accreditation. Their work is overseen by the Dutch Accreditation Council (RvA), which verifies that certification activities are conducted impartially, independently and in accordance with international standards.

To further strengthen confidence in the quality of its scheme development and management, SMK is also subject to independent assessment. SMK is a member of the Association of Scheme Managers and operates in line with the Dutch Technical Agreement (NTA 8813) for quality scheme management. Compliance is independently reviewed every two years by an external assessor.

This combination of transparent governance, independent oversight and regular review helps ensure that On the way to PlanetProof remains a reliable and credible certification scheme for producers, businesses and consumers alike.

A product or service can only be certified under the On the way to PlanetProof label if it meets all applicable criteria. These criteria are set out in a certification scheme.

SMK develops and manages the certification schemes and acts as the scheme owner. However, SMK does not issue certificates itself. Instead, certification is carried out by independent, specialised certification bodies.

These certification bodies are licensed to assess compliance with the certification schemes and conduct independent audits of businesses participating in On the way to PlanetProof. A certificate is only issued when a product, service or business has been demonstrated to meet all the criteria of the relevant certification scheme.

This separation between scheme management and certification helps ensure that assessments are carried out independently and objectively.

Products, services or businesses certified under the On the way to PlanetProof label are audited every year by independent certification bodies. During these inspections, the certification body assesses whether the certificate holder continues to meet all the criteria of the relevant certification scheme.

The outcome of the audit determines whether the certificate holders can obtain or retain its On the way to PlanetProof certificate. Only businesses that comply with all applicable criteria are certified.

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 criteria get stricter every year. The aim is to make the various sectors step by step more environmentally friendly.

Curious about the criteria? Check the certification schemes.

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.

When a trading company receives an On the way to PlanetProof-certified product, it may package the product for consumers using the On the way to PlanetProof logo. If the trading company or packer is the owner of the product, it must itself be certified for On the way to PlanetProof in order to use the logo on the packaging.

On the way to PlanetProof has an emergency arrangement for exceptional circumstances. In the event of a calamity, certificate holders may apply for a temporary exemption from a specific criterion.

Because decisions often need to be made quickly in such situations, the authority to grant exemptions is delegated to a committee of three independent experts. One of these experts is also a member of the Board of Experts for Plant Production, ensuring that relevant sector knowledge is taken into account when assessing requests.

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. 

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. See below.

Guidelines in case there is no prove found:

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?

• • Yes: written statement by the grower and possibly an expert about the possible cause (researcher, analysis laboratory);
  • 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.

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 is reliable. The quality mark is independently monitored and the requirements are drawn up in consultation with the sector through public hearings. The requirements are also assessed by Boards of Experts. SMK is a non-profit organisation. In addition, Milieu Centraal rated the quality mark as one of the highest scoring labels, with a maximum score of five out of five points for transparency and reliability.

Since 2025, On the way to PlanetProof is no longer a top quality mark according to Milieu Centraal, because the quality mark cannot be fully assessed. However, On the way to PlanetProof does receive the highest score for transparency and reliability, with a maximum score of 5 points.

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.