Greener flower power: Schiphol trials sustainable box and pallet for perishables logistics

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is supporting the Holland Flower Alliance (HFA) towards implementing the Ideal Flowerbox, a standardised box and pallet to make the shipment of flowers more efficient and sustainable.
The HFA successfully completed a two-month trial from Nairobi in Kenya to Amsterdam, which increased the weight on airline pallets of flower shipments by 15%, resulting in a more efficient and sustainable process for transporting flowers – a key commodity for the economy of the Netherlands.
“The shipment of flowers is an important activity at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, so we are very supportive of the Ideal Flowerbox project and we are excited about the initial trial results showing how the box can improve sustainability in the supply chain,” said Roos Bakker, director business development at the Dutch hub.
He added: “We actively encourage innovation within the air cargo community, and we believe that collaboration with the HFA partners will continue to yield positive results for all stakeholders involved in the shipment of flowers.”
The Ideal Flowerbox project was launched to reduce unused space between flower boxes and pallets on shipments by introducing a standardised size, and to increase sustainability in the flower supply chain.
The project is funded by the HFA, which is an alliance between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, KLM Cargo, and Royal FloraHolland.
Christo van der Meer, senior consultant supply chain innovation at Royal FloraHolland, led the pilot project task force and is preparing for the second phase of the trial.
“The results show that with the use of the Ideal Flowerbox we are able to optimise the aircraft’s load factor, which is beneficial for a sustainable and efficient operation.”
Pending a successful second phase of the trial, the HFA will evaluate the results and consider implementing the Ideal Flowerbox on more flower shipment routes in 2019.