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In its May 2024 issue, Nursery Management Magazine featured an article on The Container Challenge, written by Marie Chieppo, with supplemental insights from Nursery Management’s editor, Matt McClellan. Ms. Chieppo was also the author of APLD’s research paper, Plastic Pots and the Green Industry: Production, Use, Disposal and Environmental Impacts, and she has continued since that time to speak, write, and advocate on the topic. Her website educates and provides up-to-date information on ongoing efforts within the industry.
The article opens with a brief overview of the adoption of plastic for plant containers and how it became the default material (at a substantial volume, we might add: in our 2023 State of the Pot report, we noted that nursery stock in containers made up 68% of $3.1 billion in sales in 2019). She explains APLD’s concerns about the ubiquity of the plastic pots and their disposal: “As designers who are directly involved with purchasing plant material, we were concerned about the negative impact the large quantities of plants (in pots) we order were having on the environment and public health.” This resulted in APLD’s decision to investigate, and “the issue was approached with vigor and positivity,” Chieppo says. The paper has become a leading resource on the topic.
The industry is alarmed as well. While they are aware of the concerns about plastic pollution, they have yet to find a replacement that meets their performance requirements as well as plastic does, especially when it comes to durability. Chieppo reports that “growers and nursery owners are very hesitant to use alternative materials; what they use works and is reliable.”
Nevertheless, they can read the writing on the wall and are taking steps to improve sustainability in containers. The Horticultural Research Institute, a part of the AmericanHort Foundation, has formed a task force to address the issue. Ms. Chieppo is a member, along with representatives from container suppliers and other nurserymen. The task force’s top priorities are identifying alternatives to virgin petroleum-based plastics, evaluating compostable alternatives and looking for ways to improve recycling. Within the task force are subgroups focusing on alternative containers, biodegradable plastics, and recycling.
Looming on the horizon are potential legislative mandates regarding plastics production. McClellan emphasizes that the industry takes the situation very seriously, and “the goal is to get ahead of legislation that is already beginning to occur in several states…” Extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws have been passed in Maine, California, Colorado and Oregon. According to Chieppo, producers of unsustainable and difficult to recycle products are required to “pay into a fund based on the net amount and the recyclability of packaging associated with their products. The fees in turn help fund waste management and infrastructure needs.” Other states are mandating minimum post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in plastic products.
Chieppo closes with directing readers to Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet’s website, along with her own. We’ll be watching closely to see where the efforts of industry lead them. When it comes to 100% virgin petroleum-based pots, Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet is learning that many US producers already use a substantial amount of recycled content in their products. If this is the case with production across the board, recycled content may already be the norm in plant containers. As the article states, industry wants a “seat at the table,” and so do we consumers. As it works its way through the issues, industry needs to know what consumers want. Through surveys and outreach, Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet aims to make that clear. And through our growing coalition of supporters, we will represent the market demand that should influence container producers. As Chieppo states, producers are “forced to rethink their products.” That is exactly what Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet hopes to see.
Reprinted with permission from APLD's Design Online July 2024
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