Principle 7: Business should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Our Environmental Code of Conduct is built on national and international norms and standards for environmental management. The Code sets a minimum applicable operating standard for all of the Group’s businesses. Each business is expected to implement its own Environmental Management System, tailored to suit its size and type of activity.

Environmental data are consolidated annually, including the energy we use in our offices, the fuel consumed as we travel, and other elements necessary to calculate our environmental footprint. The data include our subsidiary companies where the Group has management control. The results are disclosed in this CSR report and are communicated internally to employees via the CSR representatives.

DKG Group monitors also its customers' environmental performance on regular basis to ensure the continual improvement. We know that the importance of protecting the environment is one of the key foundations of doing business and maintains a comprehensive infrastructure for planning, managing, assessing, improving, monitoring and measuring environmental impacts.

DKG Consulting Ltd (member of the DKG Group) has renewed ISO 14001:2004 (the international standard for environmental management systems) & ISO 9001:2008 (the International Quality Standard) Certifications, the scope of certifications is focusing to “Design, Implementation and Support of Total Greenhouse & Farm Management–Training on Total Greenhouse and Farm Management”. The resulting certification applies to all solutions and service s delivered DKG’s customers worldwide.



Sustainable Hydroponic Growing
• Water conservation
Hydroponic growing uses just one-twentieth the amount of water of field grown crops. The plants receive just the right amount of nutrient-rich water through a computer‐controlled drip irrigation system that feeds the water and nutrients directly to plants’ roots. Any un-used water from the plants is recycled, sterilized and reused to ensure quality and safety.
• Soil & Land conservation
We exercise soil-free growing practices, by using rockwool substrates, within our clean, sanitary, indoor greenhouse environments, which helps to control diseases. Apart, there is no depletion of soil nutrients and soil erosion.
• Integrated Pest Management Practices (IPM)
All of our Greenhouse clients implement stringent sanitary practices and introduces beneficial insects to maintain a safe, natural, pesticide free environment, to provide you with products that are not only delicious, but are also healthy for your family.
• Carbon dioxide, heat, ventilation
Our Greenhouse clients have turned science into an art. They use high‐tech computer systems that monitor and control carbon dioxide levels, heat, ventilation and plant nutrition. Many greenhouses also store unused heat in large water tanks, that hot water runs through heating pipes during cooler evening temperatures

Because of this precision, their vegetables look and taste perfect without doing anything unnatural to them.

Sustainable Hydroponic production
Basalt, the raw material for stone wool, is extracted according to strict environmental regulations and in non-protected areas. The volcanic rock is turned into stone wool substrate by means of a certified process. Recycling stone wool after use means that less new basalt is required. 

Sustainable Hydroponic cultivation
DRIKA Farm and all of our clients have a responsibility to practice sustainable cultivation. These
sustainable growing practices and compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) ensure that greenhouses have limited environmental impact. Plants are grown in Grodan rockwool. Growing in this material means our plants can stretch their roots, and we can feed them water and nutrients directly where they need it – on their roots – rather than on their leaves or on other parts of the soil. Growing hydroponically means we feed our plants only as much nutrients as they need for optimum growth. Our growing methods mean we don’t use herbicides. A plastic sheet, which suppresses weeds from growing up through our crops, covers the soil in our greenhouses. At the end of each growing season, the plastic sheet is removed to allow for a proper cleaning of the greenhouse. This cleaning ensures no pests or plant diseases from the previous crop are carried into the new growing season. To keep pests at bay we use biological controls. We’re leaders in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to protect plants from bad bugs and diseases. Our growers introduce predatory insects – like ladybugs – and mites to eliminate harmful pests.  

Sustainable Hydroponic recycling
A sustainable end of life solutions. Used substrate slabs, blocks and plugs are recycled into new stone wool products or used in the production of bricks, cement, potting compost, or soil improvers. The plastic sheet is separated from the stone wool and used in the plastics industry to manufacture dashboards for the automotive industry.


FOOD SAFETY & PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY

Here is how we and our clients grow hydroponically the safest produce you can buy.

• No dirt
Without dirt, plants cannot get soil-born diseases, cannot be invaded by grubs or other soil-based insects, and cannot absorb toxins and bacteria found in soil.
• No Pests
By applying an intensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses beneficial insects to control pests and stimulate healthy plant growth. Outdoors, plants are more vulnerable to various types of diseases and insects whereas in a controlled environment have the ability to keep a lot of these pressures at bay, so we are able to keep our plants healthy by using also bees for pollination and beneficial predator insects.
• No Animal Waste Fertilizers
Plants receive just the right amount of nutrient-rich water that gives them everything they need. The plants are not in contact with fields where runoff from animals can carry bacteria. So no chemical residues or bacteria from animals can ever reach a plant.
• No Disease
Culture faces no such challenges since the plants grow in the perfect environment, by eliminating the dirt, the pests and the animal waste fertilizers, are unaffected by many diseases that plagues the open field grown.
• No Acid Rain, No Nasty Weather
Greenhouse protects the produce from the rain that carries pollutants or weather damage that ranges from bruises, marks and nicks to the loss of an entire crop. Greenhouse growing ensures optimal environmental conditions by using high-tech computer systems that replicates the best natural growing conditions where temperature, humidity and light are just at the right level.

Product Responsibility
DKG Group has committed to publicly share its views on the principles that are the foundation for product safety legislation or regulation. Consistent with our commitment to the principles, we support the development of responsible, science-based laws, regulations, standards, practices and procedures that safeguard the community, workplace and environment.
DRIKA Farm (member of DKG Group) and all of our clients embrace a strong commitment to growing sustainable products by applying Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P) in order to increase the quality, the taste and quantity of their crops, and to promote safe and efficient working practice.
Apart, each of our client's products has the ability to trace the history, use or location of a product by means of registered identifications that is vital for consumer’s safety.


Managing environmental issues across our supply chain
Consulting, training services according Good Agriculture Practices

DKG Group is focusing to meet increasingly high sustainability standards and to enable its
As a service and training provider we are associate member of GLOBALG.A.P® (the global partnership for safe and sustainable agriculture), we commit to respond to its recommendations by providing advice to greenhouse growers/suppliers to apply sustainable growing practices and compliance with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
Also Group's Executive Director Mr. Christos D. Katsanos is Official GLOBALGAP train-the public trainer and in cooperation with the Training Department of TUV HELLAS (TUV NORD) S.A. & IRTC, DKG Group offers training programs for corporations and individuals in the areas of GLOBALG.A.P. protocol, AGRO 2-1 & 2-2 standard (Greek certification scheme for agriculture enterprises) and ISO 22000 standard (HACCP- Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point).

Finally, the Group's department AskMe officially translates in Greek language GLOBALGAP® documents related to Fruit and Vegetables Certification (Integrated Farm Assurance).
stakeholders to positively influence their impact on environment and society.