Modiform continues to lead the way in sustainability

Innovations in trays and pots

Sustainability and innovation are two key words that go hand in hand at Modiform. This specialist in cultivation, transport and packaging systems will once again be demonstrating both in full force at GrootGroenPlus. The spotlight will be on the latest developments in Thomsen PotContainers and propagation and transport trays. A special highlight will be the special 1933 tree tray, which was developed together with Boomkwekerij Anton Buitenhuis.

Boomkwekerij Anton Buitenhuis in Boskoop, the Netherlands, specialises in producing starting material. Bart Buitenhuis, son and future successor of owner Anton Buitenhuis: "At our three-hectare nursery, we specialise in producing top quality (young) conifer plant stock. We grow our plant stock in Modiform propagation trays that are easy for our customers to process. There are 2.8 million plants on our site, all conifers. Our product range consists of between 50 and 75 different varieties. All our cuttings come from cuttings producers. The plants spend up to a year with us, after which they go to other growers who transplant them and grow them on as finished products."

New tray bottom
Anton Buitenhuis has been collaborating with Modiform for many years. It all started with the bottom of the 1937 tree tray, which Anton discovered was causing the plants to get too wet. So a new bottom with better drainage was developed in collaboration with Modiform's development department. Two years ago, this tray was redesigned, resulting in the new 18-cell 1933 tree tray. This has the same bottom but different external dimensions, allowing the nursery to put five trays on each shelf of a Danish trolley instead of four and increasing the tray capacity of the total surface area by 10 to 15 percent. This makes even better use of the space, both at the nursery and during shipping. "This tray has been a hit in the market for more than two years now," says Modiform account manager Ron Verkade.

Modiform also supplies Buitenhuis with the 28-cell 1946 tree tray, which has the same bottom as the 1933 version. They use both types of trays for their entire range. "This enables us to serve a broader customer base, with the right price-quality ratio and the option of transplanting in different pot sizes," Bart explains.
 

Collaborative product development
For now, Buitenhuis is happy with the 1933 tree tray, but he is also keeping an eye on new developments. "You don't know what the future will hold. We update each other about alternative raw materials, new tray designs and different cultivation methods," says Bart.
The grower sees the service provided by the Leusden-based supplier as a big plus. "When we start transplanting, we buy a lot of trays. Ron Verkade visits regularly at this stage, to check that the deliveries meet our needs and the quality is good. We also appreciate the fact that Modiform is always on hand if we need to make changes or if there is a problem. Having short lines of communication and being able to switch quickly are essential in our line of work. Another advantage is our good relationship in terms of product development, which is reflected in the excellent functionality of the 1933 tree tray."

Like Modiform, Anton Buitenhuis will be at GrootGroenPlus. "After an absence of several years, we will be participating again. Partly because recent editions have been attracting a lot of visitors from Eastern Europe, where a significant share of our market is located. We will be showcasing a representative selection of our wide range of plant stock at the fair."

Modiform at the trade fair
Modiform will focus on three product groups at GrootGroenPlus: injection-moulded Thomsen PotContainers, propagation trays and transport trays. True to Modiform's approach, sustainability and circularity are central themes throughout its product range. Its Thomsen PotContainers, for example, are made of recycled plastic (PP) and are Cyclos-certified. This means that they are recyclable and are suitable for recycling in household separated waste systems. Modiform has for many years also been recycling PS in-house and turning it into new end products. "About two years ago we introduced a new return system whereby customers receive a refund for returned trays. This was designed as an incentive to retrieve as many PS products from the market as possible," says Modiform business developer propagation Martin van Dijk.

Modiform has set out its sustainability goals in its Horizon2025 sustainability strategy. "With that year rapidly approaching, we are currently evaluating the outcomes and redefining our goals for 2028. In addition, we have seen a lot of changes on the legislation front in Europe this year. For example, the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) has been introduced, which requires large companies to publish regular sustainability reports, along with the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). Visitors to the fair will find plenty of information about these latest developments."

Propagation trays
The propagation tray product groups on display at GrootGroenPlus will be multi trays, paper plug trays and tree trays, which are widely used in tree nurseries. One of the highlights on the Modiform stand will be a line of tree trays that was specially developed for an international tree grower a few years ago. This line was exclusive for a long time, but it has also been available to other growers for a while now. These trays are quite similar in design to the 1933 tree tray: they have a large cell capacity and are available in 8, 10 and 18-cell variants. The trays can be made in both PET and PS. This gives growers a choice between transplanting their plant material in PotContainers or propagation trays. The latter can be advantageous for handling.

Lastly, Modiform will also be exhibiting transport trays that match the Thomson PotContainer range. Besides PS transport trays, there will also be ecoExpert transport trays made of recycled cardboard on display.