In Cologne, Germany, on Tuesday 23 August, European parties in the ornamental plant cultivation sector set up the Euro Plant Tray i.Gr. cooperative to realise a European reusable plant tray. This is a multiannual project requiring investments of tens of millions of euros.
VGB, BGI – the German association for flower wholetraders and importers – and the companies OBI, Bauhaus, Hornbach, FM Group, Markenverband Bremen and Sagaflor are the first parties to sign for the establishment of Euro Plant Tray. In the short term – as early as September – more parties will follow, expects Matthijs Mesken, director of VGB, which will take a seat in the board of the new cooperative. Contacts have already been made with sector organisations in the United Kingdom, Italy and France. “Because”, Mesken emphasises, “it is not meant to remain a Dutch-German affair”.
Royal FloraHolland is not yet part of the cooperative but is expected to join. The auction was already represented in various working groups dealing with the reusable European tray. “However, we have submitted a number of questions and suggestions to SIM. We are now waiting for their response, so that we can decide whether to participate in the cooperative to be established. We expect to make our decision after this summer”, is RFH's formal response.