Holbox's sustainable displays

When Jan Hol made the switch from shipping to the cardboard industry 45 years ago, he started producing cardboard boxes at home. Over the years, these boxes became sustainable, creative and innovative custom made displays that Holbox is known for today. Thanks to this shift, what started as a company with a few staff members quickly grew into a multinational company with 450 staff members and a customer portfolio that includes some globally known brands. Today, the family business is run by the second generation of cardboard pioneers, consisting of Martijn Hol (general manager), Chantal Hol (marketing and sales) and Anouk Hol (sales).

As with many family businesses, corporate social responsibility (CSR) runs like a thread through the company. "Everyone needs to do their bit to ensure a green world for future generations," says Martijn Hol. "Also as a company you play a serious role in this. Since we made the switch from screen printing to offset printing in 2003, we have consciously chosen sustainability and only produce displays from recycled cardboard and environmentally friendly materials. As a company, we now even fall into the lightest environmental category." "Our environmental policy is also widely supported by our staff," adds Chantal. "They are actively involved in the policy and regularly come up with ideas and alternatives. It also makes us as managers feel more comfortable when we don't have to let our staff work with toxic substances."

A sustainable business starts with using the right raw materials. "We are the only European company in the corrugated industry that processes paper and cardboard made from 100% FSC-certified material," explains Martijn. "In our own print office, we also only use alcohol-free water-based varnishes, 100% bio-inks and migration-free varnishes." Chantal: "We also produce displays from grass paper. This paper consists of 30% grass cuttings and 70% recycled material and is produced without adding chemicals. Milka, one of our clients, deliberately chooses a display from this material because it fits in with their sustainability policy." Furthermore, because Holbox does not use harmful substances, the cardboard they use for displays is 100% recyclable. "When the displays can be taken out of the store after some time, they can simply go with the paper bin" says Chantal. "The paper fibers can even be reused up to seven times. After that they are no longer strong enough and are turned into toilet paper."

Sustainability is also an important guiding principle during the design phase. Martijn: "We employ fifteen designers who convert our customers' graphic designs into a constructive design. In this design they try to use as little material as possible and they look at how we can place as many displays as possible on one pallet in order to limit the number of transport movements. Moreover, thanks to the use of smart constructions such as cardboard tubes, no plastic supports are needed. We even have some European patents for this." "The innovativeness of our displays also lies in the fact that our customers can easily set up the displays themselves," adds Chantal. "The displays from our 2 Second Display® series are even ready for use in seconds and can be set up by anyone."

Thanks to its environmental policy, Holbox has already received several quality marks. Chantal: "We attach a great deal of value to these quality marks and see it as a nice recognition that we are doing the right thing. Moreover, more and more companies with a CSR policy expect their suppliers to have these quality marks."

Holbox also plays an active role in promoting sustainable choices among its suppliers and customers. Martijn: "The white paper we currently use consists of 85% recycled material. Ultimately, we want factories to supply us with white paper made from 100% recycled material. That is not yet possible, but by continuing to ask for it you stimulate the market to develop new possibilities. We ourselves show our customers what the current options are and help them make sustainable choices. Take, for example, a display made from 100% recycled brown paper. Thanks to current materials and production techniques, such a display is not inferior to white displays in terms of appearance." "Especially A-brands these days find it important to be accountable to consumers," says Chantal. "They want to offer transparency about their product and the way it is produced. Through our Sustainability ID we can add this information to a display. Through the QR code, consumers can request a material passport and see what materials were used for a display." "As pioneers, we continue to follow all sustainable developments closely, also in the field of hydrogen, for example. Sometimes, as a trendsetter, you have to stick your neck out and go down unknown roads. Of course this is done by trial and error, but in the end it yields innovation and creative products that also contribute to a cleaner world," says Martijn.

The focus on the production of sustainable displays certainly does not detract from the creativity that the team of designers can put into the displays. "The fight for shelf space in supermarkets is great. If you sell fewer products as an A-brand, the pressure from the store chain increases. With an eye-catching display you attract the attention of consumers and bet on more sales. This can be done by using special shapes such as a cow or a Ferris wheel, or by using certain colors to visually excite customers. However, our design team loves displays with moving elements."

Noord-Limburg Business nr. 3 2021