From left: Vincent van Rijsewijk, breeder Aad Vermeer and Alain Dirven from Syntens
"About four years ago I was gripped by a lecture given by Charles Moore about the huge amounts of plastic which accumulate in our oceans," explains Van Rijsewijk. The entrepreneur, who often operates within the sector, was inspired to consider what contribution he could make to reducing plastic waste.
Some research put Van Rijsewijk on the trail of biodegradable pots produced with agricultural waste. "We make use of residual starch, which is released when cutting chips and fries." By mixing this starch remainder with natural fluids, a substance is created that can be processed into small pellets. "With this we make the biodegradable pot," says Van Rijsewijk, naming the result the ‘Planty Pot’.
Since then, a large number of supporters has popped up to back the concept. "I also created an association with like-minded people. A group of 170 growers from the Treeport Zundert has become common shareholder in the project. In all, I’m very positive about the prospects of this idea.”
Source: Syntens
