"What lasts a long time is the most sustainable."
Christian Priebe explains how he
achieves sustainability through the high quality of his products and thus protects the environment.
sustainably, ideally with a carbon-neutral footprint, and aligning one's consumption accordingly: More and more people are adopting this lifestyle to avert further climate change and environmental disasters. At the same time, we live in a throwaway society where it is often cheaper to buy a new product than to repair it. This creates mountains of waste. The company PricoPlex takes a completely different approach: Thanks to their high quality, their plastic trays for displaying fresh food in deli counters are more durable, longer-lasting, and therefore sustainable.
Sustainability through high quality
Plastic waste is not only bad for the environment, but also harmful to our health. Increasing amounts of plastic particles are ending up in the stomachs of fish in the world's oceans, and thus, at the end of the food chain, on our plates. Every year, an unimaginable amount of up to ten million tons of plastic waste ends up in the world's oceans. The German Federal Environment Agency estimates that between 100 and 150 million tons of plastic are in the world's oceans. In the Mediterranean Sea alone, an estimated 250 million pieces are circulating. How can we address the problem of this ever-increasing environmental pollution?
Paper or plastic? It depends on recycling
There are no easy answers to the question of the most environmentally friendly solution. For example, the energy required to produce paper bags is significantly greater than that for plastic bags, explains Christian Priebe, Managing Director of the tray manufacturer PricoPlex in Eresing. "It's important that we close the loop. Plastics can be recycled effectively if the disposal methods are clear." Unfortunately, this is currently far from the case. Priebe's work has made him an expert on sustainability. When he sees what gets thrown into the yellow recycling bin, it makes his stomach churn. A public awareness campaign about waste disposal is urgently needed.
Sustainable, high-quality products reduce resource consumption
But how does Priebe define sustainability? "For me, the most sustainable thing is what lasts a long time," says the head of the tray manufacturer PricoPlex. Longevity is a key feature of his products: "You see, the production of trays is very energy-intensive. If the trays then have to be replaced frequently due to their fragility, this results in high energy consumption. But if I stock my deli counter with high-quality plastic trays, I reduce resource consumption compared to products with a short lifespan – which, incidentally, also applies to cheap plastic trays." The same applies to paper bags. If they tear after just one use, resources have been unnecessarily wasted in their production.
Robust composite materials instead of melamine create sustainability
Since the Earth's resources are limited, they must be conserved. This is Priebe's philosophy. The plastic trays his company produces have a long lifespan. This is achieved through the use of highly robust plastics. Melamine is not used at all in tray production. For one thing, it is not break-resistant, and for another, it is not recyclable.
The eye buys with the eye
For the expert, sustainability also includes aesthetics . If a bowl no longer looks appealing, it's discarded. Priebe's bowls, however, are designed to grace the deli counters for as long as possible. PricoPlex achieves this with a final layer of plexiglass that seals the bowl's surface. Furthermore, the plexiglass is colored throughout with the same shade as the base material. Scratches, which inevitably occur during daily use, are therefore less noticeable. This allows the bowl to maintain its visual appeal for a long time, ensuring extended use, conserving resources, and thus being sustainable.
The second life of the shell
When the trays eventually reach the end of their lifespan, they can be recycled. Priebe explains how he closes the loop: “Our trays are labeled with the types of plastic used. We take the trays back from the customer and then return them to the cycle. First, the plastic from the discarded trays is ground up. Then the plastic powder goes back into the production cycle. We're not allowed to reuse recycled plastics because our trays come into contact with food. But they are then used to make things like tool holders for industry or blister packs for electric toothbrushes.”
Sustainability through high
quality made in Germany
Priebe can easily understand why this is the case, as production takes place in Germany for quality reasons. The result speaks for itself:
“Many of our customers have been using their bowls for 20 years. That’s what I call sustainability. Because if I buy cheap, I buy twice. I don’t want that for our customers. That’s why our products have a long lifespan.”
Sustainability through high
quality, also at the company headquarters
Naturally, Priebe also keeps the environment in mind at the company headquarters itself: The building's heating system in Eresing uses a heat pump powered by geothermal energy. The on-site photovoltaic system produces environmentally friendly electricity. And the green roof filters the air, can store water, and provides cooling and insulation for the office spaces. "Thanks to the new building, we're saving 160,000 tons of CO2, " says Priebe, who has made sustainability his life's work.
Construction of the sustainable companyheadquarters
