Which flower or plant sleeve is the most sustainable?

The choice is vast if you use flower or plant sleeves: paper, virgin* plastic or plastic sleeves made from recycled materials. What is the environmental impact of these sleeves, and what is the most sustainable choice? An independent study answers this question: paper sleeves are the most sustainable.

Royal FloraHolland commissioned an independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Quickscan from Partners for Innovation. An LCA Quickscan compares the environmental impact of different products (such as packaging) on the basis of a scientific calculation methodology.

The LCA Quickscan we had carried out reveals how six different types of sleeves, including the Polypropylene (PP) ones often used in the floriculture sector, score on various environmental themes. The study is based on the whole life cycle: from production to post-use collection. The choice of sleeve and associated data are based on input from multiple manufacturers of flower and plant sleeves. This enables an accurate comparison between the different compositions of the sleeves within the LCA.

Six sleeves made of different materials were compared:

Two plastic sleeves made of Polypropylene (PP) material:

1. Virgin* PP sleeve
2. PP sleeve made of 40% recycled material
   

Two plastic sleeves made of Low Density Polyethene (LDPE) material:

1. Virgin* LDPE sleeve
2. LDPE sleeve made of 40% recycled material

Two paper sleeves:

1. Paper virgin* sleeve
2. Paper sleeve made of 100% recycled material
   
   *Virgin materials are materials that have never been used or processed before, such as new plastic sleeves made from petroleum.

1. Paper sleeve made of 100% recycled material
2. Paper virgin sleeve
3. PP sleeve made of 40% recycled material
4. LDPE sleeve made of 40% recycled material
5. Virgin PP sleeve
6. Virgin LDPE sleeve

The difference in environmental impact between the different types of plastic materials (PP versus LDPE) is very small though and almost negligible.

Global warming is considered the main impact indicator of this LCA. This isn’t the sole environmental impact: for example, there is also resource depletion and water scarcity. The overall impact is expressed in a so-called 'single score'. Even in this 'single score', paper sleeves are the most sustainable. If you’d like to read more about this, check out the report.

1. Choose (where possible) paper sleeves, as these have the lowest environmental impact both on global warming and overall single score results.
2. Make as much use of recyclable materials as possible, and try to find out where the sleeve ends up as waste. Although paper is generally well recycled across Europe, there are hardly any recycling facilities for PP sleeves. Combinations of materials in your sleeve (paper and plastic) aren’t suitable for recycling.
3. The higher the percentage of recycled material (recyclate) in the packaging, the better. This has a positive impact on reducing the environmental impact.
4. Avoid applications that interfere with recycling. Having no - or less - print on the sleeve has a positive effect on the environmental impact. This is because the ink used is not only harmful to the environment, it also constitutes a contaminant in the recycling process. So, if printing isn’t really necessary, omitting it also helps reduce the impact.
5. Finally, increased paper thickness quickly reduces the benefit of paper sleeves for the environment. Would a lower paper thickness suffice? Then choose that.

• You can read the original LCA Quickscan report in English here.
• Are you interested in the results of previous LCAs regarding plant trays? Then read the article here:
  Which plant tray is the most sustainable?