The weather conditions and plant environment also affects the postharvest longevity. ![]() Long before harvest, plant cultivar selection should be considered for postharvest longevity to provide the best possible cultivars for cutting. Maximizing the vase life of cut flowers is dependent on pre-harvest procedures too. Below are some tips for proper harvest and care of cut flowers. Proper harvesting and care of flowers after harvest are important to maximize the vase life and ensure a high quality product. The EcoFlowerBox has received both a ScanStar and a World Star Award for its sustainable packaging concept.Many farmers and gardeners grow cut flowers for retail garden centers, roadside stands, farmers markets and farm shares in Massachusetts. The transportation box for Pirkka tulips, created with Stora Enso, is one example of the results of this work,” says Timo Jäske, Sustainability Director at Kesko’s grocery trade division. “We are continuously looking for new ways to reduce the unnecessary use of plastic, as well as seeking new solutions in close cooperation with our partners in an agile manner. Thanks to smooth collaboration and quick development of this product, the EcoFlowerBox is now helping Kesko to cut down on plastic use. Now, a big part of their yearly production of 35-40 million tulips are packed and transported in EcoFlowerBoxes. In cases where the flowers are not transported by pallet and truck, the inner box is enough on its own.īoth boxes can be recycled in the paper stream.Īfter successfully testing to transport 10 000 boxes holding flowers with different water levels, Partaharjun Puutarha scaled up. It is durable and holds the water inside because of a barrier on the inner surface of the corrugated board. The inner box is a leak-tight box that can be used as display box in stores. For Partaharjun Puutarha, the shipment efficiency was increased with 25% as they went from fitting 60 buckets to 75 boxes on one pallet.Ģ. The transport box has a closed top and is optimising shipment efficiency compared to plastic buckets since it allows stacking the boxes on top of each other, keeping the flowers protected. Optimised for transport To safely transport flowers on bumpy roads from growers to stores, the EcoFlowerBox consists of two boxes in one. ![]() This was important when developing EcoFlowerBox, as this stage in the production chain cannot be allowed to slow down the process for growers. In storage, the boxes can be kept flat to save warehouse space. It’s square, instead of round and stackable which makes it optimised for transport since more boxes than buckets fit on the pallets. ![]() It’s a box made from corrugated board, consisting of 97% renewable materials. With these specifications EcoFlowerBox was developed by Stora Enso packaging designer, Miia Vettenranta. They asked for a l eak-tight, cost-effective, flower packaging, that is sustainable, suitable for the logistic chain and easy to use. They bought new plastic buckets every year and wanted to find a solution using less plastic. ![]() The EcoFlowerBox by Stora Enso was developed together with tulip grower Partaharjun Puutarha. Kesko’s sustainability strategy is the driver behind the switch, and replacing the plastic buckets is one action taken towards their target to drive sustainability throughout the value chain. With this move they are saving 27 tonnes of plastic per year, an amount that corresponds to approximately 1.3 million plastic bags. Kesko is switching out their previously used plastic buckets for transporting flowers.
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