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We do what we do with consideration for the future and the environment. ‘Empowering a wasteless world’ is not only our motto but also expresses our vision of a sustainable future. It starts with the pursuit of a circular economy – one in which all our packaging is made from recycled plastic and our packaging is fully recyclable using mechanical methods. Ten years ago, we already started making our packaging from 80% recycled soft-drinks bottles. Since then, the possibility to use 100% recycled material has become a reality.
The great thing about this innovation is that the plastic involved has already been used in stores as consumer packaging and is therefore ideal for use in creating new packaging for food. In this way, we can keep on reusing the material – it’s a perfect example of a circular economy.
Circular economy
We are often asked whether plastic packaging really is sustainable. Our answer is a wholehearted ‘yes!’ We are all familiar with the images of the plastic soup in our oceans and many people think that the solution lies in the production of less plastic. Nevertheless, plastic has many significant advantages over other packaging materials. For a start, few raw materials are needed for producing plastic. In addition, plastic is much stronger than other materials and can be reused again and again – precisely what we do on a daily basis.
The strength of plastic is also its drawback. Because of its strength, nature cannot decompose the material on its own. It is especially important to prevent plastic from ending up in the environment. The recycling of plastic is a sustainable process. At relatively low temperatures, plastic can be reused in any shape or form. The properties of plastic are also maintained. The material is food safe, transparent, hygienic, convenient, and durable.
The use of plastic packaging increases the shelf-life of products and keeps them fresh for longer. As a result, it is an ideal form of packaging for the agricultural industry, retail sector, and consumers and also contributes to sustainability in this manner.
At Verstappen, we understand plastic. We know what the material is capable of and how it can be developed further in the future as a sustainable form of packaging. Thanks to its minimum use of raw materials and ability to extend the shelf-life of products, combined with the possibility to recycle plastic in an energy-efficient and food safe manner, plastic is a material that has greater potential than many other forms of packaging. Our mission is to realize this potential.
In order to achieve this mission, we have joined the Plastic Pact NL. As part of the pact, sixty leading companies in the Netherlands have made agreements regarding the recycling of plastic and joined forces to tackle the problem of plastic. The innovations that we introduce at Verstappen demonstrate that we do not stand still but, instead, think ahead and take forward-looking steps. This ties in perfectly with the goals we have agreed upon in the Plastic Pact NL.
Future
Sustainability is manifested in many more ways than in our products only. Sustainability is a key focus throughout our business operations. This is evident in a variety of ways.
