Pristine means pure, unspoilt. An apt name for the next-generation trays made from recycled material in its purest form. The Pristine trays are produced from 100% recycled polystyrene without dye additives. Not using virgin plastic and omitting dye additives makes the trays much more sustainable. In addition, used trays are collected from growers – who receive a competitive payment for the return – and recycled again in-house. This way, Pristine helps to close the material loop.
John van der Maarel, Sales Director at Modiform, explains why the Pristine tray is the new standard: ‘This innovation is a big step towards achieving our Horizon2025 ambition: sustainable horticulture. With this tray, growers automatically make a sustainable choice at competitive prices. ‘A new tray used to be altered by adding a small amount of dye in order to create a uniform, deep-black colour. But that is no longer the norm. Pristine shows colour variations: the tray looks black, but could also have a dark-grey appearance. However, it is precisely that possible minor variation that shows it is a sustainable product. Incidentally, all trays from the same production run will have the same colour. The trays will never be speckled, and we expect their colour to become slightly lighter over time. But the quality remains the same no matter what!’
Transport and propagation
Pristine makes it easier for growers to do business sustainably, as a matter of course. Transport trays without dye additives and gloss coating are already in production, with propagation trays to follow later. The transition period for making all trays Pristine trays is expected to be completed within a year.
If growers want to be at the forefront of the sustainable transition, they can request to switch their propagation trays to Pristine at an earlier date.