Should we use covers made of plastic? What can we do to reduce the environmental impact of our covers?

In recent years, we have set ourselves the goal of redeveloping our flower sleeves. Should we use sleeves made of plastic? What can we do to reduce the environmental impact of our sleeves?

One of our conclusions was that a sleeve not only has to look nice, but also has a very important role to play in keeping the product fresh and protected throughout the supply chain. In our opinion, alternatives such as covers made of paper (often with a plastic coating) or covers made of biodegradable material do not have the right properties for our cold chain and are not always a more sustainable option. In addition, we also found that the available products with recycled material did not yet meet our expectations either. Until now!

In close cooperation with our supplier Dillewijn Zwapak BV, we were able to develop a new sleeve made of 70% consumer recycled polypropylene (PCR PP) material. This sleeve has almost the same properties as BOPP sleeves made from virgin material: 100% transparent, same rigidity, non-stretchable. And very important: compatible with our packaging machines. A huge step forward!

We are proud to announce that we are the first grower to use this new development. This week, we started using the first sleeves made of PCR PP. This year, we will switch completely to these PCR sleeves step by step.

We also changed the design of our covers. Based on our new house style, we developed a new design that is future-proof and more environmentally friendly: less use of ink and easier to recycle. Very happy with the result!