Design and sustainability in balance

Sustainability is a matter of course for Holbox. Our team is committed to more environmentally conscious solutions every day. From material to logistics. We are ISO 14001-certified with good reason. Chantal Hol, Chief Commercial Officer of Holbox: “As a family business, we feel a responsibility to pass on a healthy planet to the next generations. That’s why we always continue to invest in sustainability and innovation. This knife cuts both ways: on the one hand, we think about environmental benefits, on the other, we translate this principle into innovative ideas with an attractive price tag for the customer.”

Whereas no one talked about sustainability 20 years ago, it’s now a hot topic. Chantal: “We’re all familiar with reports about climate change and the plastic soup. Holbox consciously chooses not to close its eyes to this, but rather to lead the way. Sustainability is the artery of our company and innovation is in our DNA. We have already made many processes more sustainable. For example, we filter all wastewater so it can be returned to nature. And we operate without emissions. We don’t even have a chimney on the roof!”

ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES FIRST

Sustainable entrepreneurship also means you take a critical look at the use of materials. We also expect this from our suppliers. Chantal: “For example, we only use 100% FSC board from Europe. This means responsibly managed forests are used, with attention for people and animals that depend on the forest. In addition, cardboard is always recyclable. A cardboard display can be recycled up to seven times. After that, the fibres are broken and it’s turned into toilet paper. Our inks and varnishes are also made from vegetable materials. Customers can opt for UV varnish, but we try to steer them towards a more environmentally-friendly alternative. They also often want a sustainable footprint.” Ricardo Valkenburg, head of design at Holbox, believes it’s his task to take the customer along in the movement towards greater sustainability. “People often mistakenly think that the sustainable solution is less good. For example, that a water-based varnish has less shine than a UV varnish. Our products show them that’s not true. With water-based paint, you get the same result at the same cost, but with less environmental impact. We believe it’s our duty to inform the customer about this.”

Sustainability is the artery of our company

We also think about logistics. The 2 Second series is a good example of this, says Chantal. “By designing smartly, many more displays fit on a pallet than usual. As a result, you reduce transport movements, which is not only sustainable, but also saves costs. And because it would be selfish to keep these kinds of solutions to ourselves, we’ve already sold the patent in several places around the world. Sharing is caring.”

LESS POLLUTION, MORE FUNCTIONALITY

How do we sell products smarter and better? That’s a question our designers consider every day. It has already led to several innovative solutions, such as the Hang-In display, a counterpart to the common click displays. Ricardo: “This display is made of 100% cardboard, very strong and you can throw it in the paper bin after use. Moreover, unlike with sleeves, you’re not bound to standard sizes and shapes. A cardboard display can be as big or outrageous as you want. It can’t get much better than that.” Or what about the Ecotopper, a cardboard top card. Ricardo: “You simply fold the Ecotopper forward and put it on the display. Without having to use plastic.”

It’s Ricardo’s dream to stop producing waste at some point. His design team is currently investigating how to (re)use the residual material from the existing processes as efficiently as possible. “We keep looking at the existing processes. For example, can we work on smaller plate sizes to save cardboard? Or maybe we can do something with the residual material, for example, by turning it into parts that I know I will need in the coming years? You’ll be building up a stock with what you would normally throw in the trash, a win-win situation.” Chantal adds: “We try to be creative with our waste. For example, we recently made cardboard flowers, which we sell on the webshop and hand out to our customers. And we produce notebooks for internal use. So the circle is complete again.” 

Holcomplet

Chantal: “Our minds are always running at full speed. For example, we’re currently developing a concept called Holcomplet. This is a completely new view on the use of displays, where sustainability is the key word. We’re aiming for a lower environmental impact thanks to fewer transport movements, less use of materials and ultimately, lower CO2 emissions!” More info? Watch our socials!