Start Bracheplan Sustainable Packaging

Monday 6 May GroentenFruit Huis launched the Sustainable Packaging Sector Plan. Sustainable Packaging has been a hot topic in the fruit and vegetable sector for some time now. The sector plan describes the sector's ambitions in terms of making packaging more sustainable.

"The starting point of the new Sector Plan is that the Dutch fruit and vegetable sector should pack its products if this results in a reduction of the total environmental impact of the product and/or makes a necessary contribution to food safety, shelf life, protection, quality, handling or traceability of the product", says Daan van Empel, Programme Manager Food Safety & Sustainability at GroentenFruit Huis.

Five pillars

A minimum environmental impact for product-packaging combinations, among other things by applying the principles of the circular economy, is central to the plan. In the plan, this principle is translated into specific objectives based on five pillars:

- Reducing packaging material and alternatives to packaging
- Design for recycling (end-of-life)
- Raw materials and use of materials
- Transport packaging
- Communication & perception

Actions towards 2022

The actions for the fruit and vegetable sector towards 2022 relate to the environmental impact of packaging, periodic packaging and seasonal packaging, a pilot with zero packaging (product groups), applications of agriwaste, overseas packaging and informing consumers about efforts in the field of packaging.