"Scandinavians are more environmentally conscious"

Scandinavians are very environmentally conscious. In especially Denmark and Sweden, the demand for environmentally friendly products increasingly comes from customers themselves. However, also in other European countries like Poland and Germany, these products are on the rise. This is, for example, visible in the demand for environmentally friendly ornamental sleeves. Therefore, the Danish packaging company HASSØ introduced 100% biodegradable brown paper sleeves for cut flowers, pot plants and herbs.

Why a brown paper sleeve?

The reason for introducing a brown paper sleeve came from the demand of the Scandinavian supermarkets and growers. These customers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and want to buy environmentaly friendly products. "There are biodegradable plastics, but people can not see that they are environmentally friendly unless looking at the logo on the package. Therefore we introduced a sleeve that has an environmental friendly appearance; the brown paper. Customers immediately see that it is a product that will not harm the environment" says Jørgensen.

Knud Elmer Jørgensen, owner of HASSØ with the 100% biodegradable brown paper sleeves at the IPM Essen.

Adjusted to the needs of the growers

Besides meeting the needs of the supermarkets, growers and their customers, the sleeves also have a large advantage for the growers; they can be adjusted to their needs. "For example, the grower can decide the thickness and therefore the quality of the paper, the print, and the sizes." Moreover, the sleeves can be applied manually or automatically. "The sleeves can be applied to almost every packaging machine of the grower."

Increasing demand for biodegradables

The main markets of HASSØ are Scandinavia and especially Denmark. However, according to Jørgensen, the demand for biodegradables is on the rise in the US and Europe. "Especially supermarkets in Poland and Germany are increasingly asking for biodegradable sleeves. Only the Netherlands lags behind. Perhaps the Dutch growers aren't aware of all the possibilities of biodegradable paper sleeves. We are hoping that we can change this within a couple of months."

More biodegradables in the pipeline

As well as these 100% biodegradable brown paper sleeves, HASSØ also offers labels and plastic sleeves. There are more biodegradable sleeves in the pipeline. "Currently we are working on new sleeves and we are planning to introduce them in a couple of months".

For more information
HASSØ
Knud Elmer Jørgensen
Email: [email protected]
www.hassoe.com