Published on: 10/29/2020

Holbox has been awarded the Silver Rating by EcoVadis, a platform that tests companies worldwide for sustainability. The producer of displays and other point-of-sale products is also in the process of becoming certified for ISO 14001. The displays in the stores last one to two weeks, after which they have to be replaced on the store floor for new promotions.

"All the more reason to pay extra attention to sustainability," says Martijn Hol. He is general manager of the company. Holbox is known for its ingenious, constructive designs. A cardboard display, for example, must be able to carry cans of beer weighing a total of 100 kilograms. "Our customers across Europe are increasingly demanding sustainable displays. That goes beyond just looks. We also try to make our production process as clean as possible."

Family-owned

Holbox is an internationally oriented family business that has specialized in the design, engineering and production of displays since 1976. From Echt and a production location in Gliwice, Poland, the printing company serves the European market with over 400 employees. In addition, Holbox has sales offices in Paris, Cologne, Warsaw and Hilversum.

The relationship between Holbox and Wifac began in the 1990s. In 1999, founder Jan Hol switched from screen printing to offset printing. In order to make that move, he bought a small printing company at the time (Drukkerij 'De Gouden Leeuw') and immediately invested in four new Sakuari presses at Wifac. Martijn: "Wifac has grown with us all the time. We work with the Energy Elite Eco plate from Agfa and print on two presses from Koenig & Brauer: a Rapida 162 and a Rapida 164."

In the step-by-step process of making production more sustainable, the question came up of how to deal with the inks on the presses. "Printing is an important part of our work, but not the only one. We laminate, die-cut and assemble. All those steps are closely related. For example, the adhesive. It must, of course, adhere well to corrugated cardboard, so that the ink does not adversely affect it. The ink must not break when creasing or folding either. We asked Wifac for advice on the best ink to use."

Holbox is not taking any chances in doing so. Quality manager Frank van den Munckhof: "Wifac went into the laboratory with our list of requirements and developed a new recipe. We started testing the ink. We really make time for this on the press. Precisely because the ink has such a great influence on the final product, all the details have to be right. The tack, the color power, the behavior on the press and perhaps most importantly: the composition of the ink."

Bioink

The result is the Elements Terra ink. This is a cobalt-free bio ink, based on one hundred percent vegetable oil. Moreover, the ink is largely composed of reusable raw materials.

This bio ink offers quite a few advantages. The ink can be used for all types of paper and cardboard. Clean and weathering is also perfectly possible due to the through-drying and scratch resistance. "That scratch resistance is very important to us, " says Martijn. "Before a display is on the store floor it has gone through many machines and hands."

Now that all the testing is behind us, Elements Terra ink production is being scaled up. Ink barrels are replacing cans. Martijn: "We are constantly looking for new ways. For example, we offer - as the first display manufacturer in the world - customers the possibility to add a sustainability ID. This qr code enables customers and consumers to request a unique material passport via their mobile within seconds. Another example is the use of new materials. Think 'grass displays' made from grass-based pulp. We at Holbox are proud to have been awarded the Silver Rating by EcoVadis. With our new initiatives, the achievement of ISO 14001 and the use of Elements Terra ink, we are getting close to a Gold Rating. This will put us in the absolute top in terms of sustainability. That's what our customers want - and so do we."

Article from Packfacts 2020, a publication of Wifac BV
Editor: Karen Helling