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Circulaire bloemlezing
18 February 2019
Circulaire Anthology

Circulaire bloemlezing

Circular Anthology

In recent weeks there have been relevant horticultural fairs such as the IPM in Essen and the Fruit Logistica in Berlin. I also noticed the emergence of circular and the focus on sustainable packaging. The packaging industry, machine builders and waste processors are ready to come up with circular packaging solutions for the beautiful products from the floriculture and fruit and vegetable sectors.

During the visit to the IPM I noticed that many entrepreneurs are working on circular packaging solutions from cardboard trays, paper sleeves to recyclable stacking. The booths where these solutions were shown have been receiving extra attention from visitors. Curiosity is aroused by many. In addition to enthusiasm, there are the practical disadvantages of paper covers. These are so dense that the decorative value of the product is no longer visible. The shelf life is also not always consistent. I suspect that in addition to the additional costs for many growers, both arguments are the brakes to get started.

The same trends were noticeable in the fruit and vegetable sector in Berlin. Fruit cooperative Fruitmasters came with a fully paper recyclable apple packaging. There was also no lack of attention at the Dutch supplier Java. This supplier of packaging materials received a lot of attention for their sledge machines and box folders. One-off use of plastic is unthinkable in the fruit and vegetable sector, but it is clear that steps are made to switch to 100% recyclable solutions. I suspect that the images of plastic soup that come in through our screen every day in many living rooms give us all an extra boost.

The last example I want to give is the Circular initiative of a waste processor and a few floriculture companies located at the auction site in Aalsmeer. They came to us to finance the market introduction of circular horticultural packaging. The entire chain is involved in this solution. I believe that is an important part of the feasibility of this business case.

In short, the plastic waste streams from major European supermarkets and Royal FloraHolland are sorted, processed and 100% recycled into new reusable and recyclable packaging solutions for flower sleeves, export packaging for roses from Africa, stack trays, folding crates and pallets. In theory, a 100% circular solution can be achieved by considering waste as an opportunity for the solution of an important global issue. I spoke to one of the initiators behind Circular this morning and they also have nothing to complain about.

What do I want to say with this anthology of examples. In addition to transparent and responsible cultivation via quality marks, are many entrepreneurs consciously working on solutions to the packaging issue of the floriculture and fruit and vegetable chain. We see applications that are already very concrete and applicable, and we also see examples that are still in the development phase. The cost-benefit analysis may be an important argument for you not to do anything for a while, but I suspect that developments in the packaging industry and consumer acceptance are going so fast that your end-user will say after a year that he no longer wants your product. In the current package. Not because there is something wrong with it, but simply because you are unable to offer a circular packaging solution. Therefore my question, are you already interested in circular packaging solutions?

You can find the hortipoint article here

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