Every year, 3500 tons of plastic waste goes 'through the door at Royal FloraHolland'. If we can make this waste flow circular, this will solve a major sustainability issue.
Circular Knows it For Sure
The last word about the most sustainable packaging material has not yet been spoken, but at Circular they know for sure. If actually recycled, plastic is better than the alternatives when it comes to packaging in floriculture.
100% Collected and 100% Re-processed
Circular Plastics is a company that has set up a system in which polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) sleeve covers are 100% collected and 100% re-processed via modern upcycling techniques.
Fresco Flowers
In collaboration with Circular,
Fresco Flowers has developed this concept and is responding to reducing the one-off use of new plastics as much as possible. Because the foil has been recycled, it is unfortunately not possible to make it 100% transparent. Jaap Buis from Fresco Flowers:
"But the story behind it, that we can make new foil from old flower sleeves, is so strong that we dare to compromise on transparency but keep the sustainable appearance. The foils are printed with organic inks and of course it protects the products during transport. If you can fully re-use existing plastic without it being polluting in any way, and also without sacrificing quality, then there is little more sustainable than this."
Flowers ready to be auctioned
Win-Win
In addition, the new sleeves work excellently on the current machines of
Fresco Flowers without any adjustments. Savings can even be made on the use of energy, which in turn has a positive impact on the CO2 footprint. A true win-win situation.
Eco Flower Box
Circular Plastics has also developed an Eco Flower bag for bouquets, and even a box from upcycled plastics that keeps the flowers in optimal condition with a perfect microclimate during the entire transport. This reduces the damage to the flowers by 2% and improves the lifespan as an indicator of quality by 25%.
The Eco Flowerbox by Fresco Flowers is an innovative reusable flower box made of plastic waste (flower foil) from Royal FloraHolland and replaces the cardboard one-off box. Hybrid techniques and high-quality recycling knowledge guarantee 7 years and 42 cycles for the Eco Flowerbox with sustainable savings on logistics costs and a positive impact on the CO2 footprint. The Eco Flowerbox is light, ultra-strong, and also foldable, and therefore efficient for return freight and storage. Thanks to the smart closure, straps are unnecessary and the individual barcode and QR code ensures optimal tracking & tracing. The first tests will be carried out in early October 2020 in collaboration with Circular Alliance Partners.