INTERNATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE

CASE STUDY #27 1. Headline: Reusable packaging for flowers and plants 2. Background: PROMISE: A Dutch initiative for improved product design Cleaner production can be achieved through two general lines of action : - production processes and - product design The area of product design using the cleaner production approach is still in its very early stages of development. The Dutch PROMISE initiative (PROductonwikkeling met Milieu als Innovatie StrategiE, or 'Product Development with Environment as the Innovation Strategy') has set forth to contribute to the understanding of cleaner products. PROMISE did not attempt to achieve complete environmentally benign products, but tried to develop a process through which products were environmentally improved in just a few steps, leading to increased availability of sustainable products in the long run. Under the leadership and sponsorship of the Netherlands Organization for Technology Assessment - NOTA (now the Rathenau Institute), the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Housing, Regional Development and the Environment, and the National Research Program on Reusing Waste Materials (NOVEM/RIVM), PROMISE ran from 1990 to 1994, and combined the efforts of twelve organizations. In addition to those organizations mentioned above, the consultancies of TME Institute, TNO Product Center, DUIJF Consultancy, KIEM product development support. Advice Group Diemen and Van Gestel, Aries Consultancy and the Research Centre for Technology and Policy/STB/TNO and the Delft University Of Technology participated in the initiative. The objective of PROMISE was to increase understanding of cleaner product design and to provide tools and policy advice to create relevant follow-up programs. Eight demonstration projects were developed under the Eco-design program, which laid the basis for the PROMISE initiative. Under Eco-design, a variety of very different products underwent redesign: a plant tray, an office chair, a hot drinks machine, a gas mask, a couch, a swing, a car dashboard, and a gas stove. Substantial improvements were made in all these products from both an environmental and an economic point of view. Research continues on development of a revolving fund for cleaner production, and several recommendations have been implemented. Further, a large scale, follow-up demonstration program, also entitled Eco-design, has been commissioned and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Housing, Regional Development and the Environment, and the Netherlands Organization for Energy and Environment (NOVEM). To be implemented by 18 Innovation Centers in the Netherlands, the program is targeting 100 companies in 1995, and another 800 in 1996 and 1997. Seven Dutch flower and plant wholesale auctions have been combined in the VBN (Vereniging van Bloemen Veilingen in Nederland). Eighty per cent of the flowers and plants are auctioned through the two biggest ones. Approximately 40 per cent of the products are sold to the internal market, and the rest exported to Germany, France, Italy and England. Upcoming environmental legislation on packaging in the Netherlands and other countries has led to the development of new types of transport packaging. Because of their high export activity, Dutch plant nurseries were concerned about possible 'take-back' legislation in Germany on the trays used to carry potted plants. These are currently thrown away. The total turnover of the seven auctions comprising VBN is US $2900million. 3. Cleaner Production Principle: product design 4. Description of Cleaner Production Application: The Eco- design team looked closely at fully- or partly-disposable cardboard trays, but found conclusively that they used far more energy than reusable tray, despite the costs involved in transporting them back to source. Enabling technology: The team designed a strong, lightweight tray made of the most energy efficient material available - in this case, polypropylene. 5. Economics: (approx) US$ Research and development cost 625 000 Investment cost 937 000 Operational cost 1 875 000 Current rent per tray-cycle 0.30 Total in 1996 10,000,000 Savings per tray-cycle 0.20 Payback period 1 year 6. Advantages: The layout has been redesigned so that the trays are compatible with all the pot sizes manufactured by the company, thus enabling them to hold more plants. 7. Constraints: N/A 8. Contacts:Mr W.Nijlunsing United Flower Auctions (VBN) Postbus 9324 2300 PB Leiden Netherlands Tel: +31 71 161124 Fax: +31 71 161144 Eco-design Program: Founder Mr M.Verhagen Ministry of Economic Affairs Bezuidenhoutseweg 20 Postbus 20101 2500 EC Den Haag Netherlands Tel: +31 70 379 6097 Fax: +31 70 379 6879 Coordination Mr Ir.T.J.J. van der Horst TNO Product Centre Oostsingel 209 Postbus 5073 2600 GB Delft Netherlands Tel: +31 15 608 797 Fax: +31 15 608 756 9. Keywords:the Netherlands, flower, packaging, product design, polypropylene, PROMISE, plants 10. Reviewer comments: This case study was originally published in the UNEP IE document "Cleaner Production Worldwide", Volume II. In the process of preparing the document the case study underwent a technical review.