Environmentally friendly labels

Arjan Klapwijk (right) and Marcel de Oude of Bio4Life: "Sustainability is on the agenda. card." PICTURE FRANK DE ROO

Bio4Life. After years of disappointment are the environmentally friendly labels and adhesives of Bio4Life on the verge of conquering the world.

JASPER MONSTER

'Have we invented something that everyone's excited about, but no one's really... needs?" It is 2014 when Arjan Klapwijk (50) answers this question. business partner Marcel de Oude (50) states. The duo behind Bio4Life wins that Chicago's sustainability award at the biggest event in their industry. In addition, they receive extremely enthusiastic reactions from all over the world. on their self-developed and environmentally friendly labels and adhesives. But the orders stay out. "The interview with the accountant actually went on every year the same", Klapwijk laughs now. "Do you pull the plug or do I it? Of course we doubted, but we believed in our product. That's why we always persevered."

Eight years after the creation of the company, it appears that the longevity of Klapwijk and De Oude has not been in vain. Meanwhile it remains from the customers not just with compliments. Orders flow into Capelle den IJssel. The wave of sustainability that the world has been experiencing for a number of years now flooded, the interest in Bio4Life's products has also continued fueled. "When we started, we were in the middle of the economic crisis. The Old One says. "Companies in the label industry were only in one aspect interested: the price." And that's precisely the aspect where the company's shouldn't have directly. "We're a bit more expensive than the competition, but are the only company in the world that has the glue that is not harmful to the environment."

Tommy Hilfiger

Happy for the duo, the world has changed. "It's often said: It's just a label, whatever. But worldwide it's huge numbers and it's a lot of garbage. This awareness is growing. And there's a alternative: we." The Bio4Life labels and glue are in fact compostable. In practice, this means: not harmful to the environment. Our labels break down into substances that can only be returned to nature. find his." From the organic products in the Jumbo supermarkets to the airline meals and the labels of clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger. Everywhere the Capelse labels with the corresponding glue can be returned. find it. "Companies from all over the world are interested in environmentally friendly applications. Sustainability is really on the map and there we also benefit."

It's not just the customers who are getting more and more enthusiastic. Also from other angles Bio4Life products are receiving more and more attention. This is how the company nominated for the New Heroes Prize, a prize is entrepreneurs who distinctions in areas such as the environment. Very nice, unexpected and also a great honor. It's nice that more people now believe in our product. Now let's hope that we're gonna be it."

These are exciting times for the company anyway. Klapwijk and The Old expect a lot from their latest innovation: environmentally friendly fruit stickers. On the Swiss apples and pears they can already be found, now the the rest of the world. "If that's going to become the norm it'll make a difference unbelievable waste. And it immediately means a lot of work for us."