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Highlights from Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet 2023 State of the Pot

Since the publication of our “Plastic Pots and the Green Industry” research paper in 2020, the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet committee has worked not only to build a coalition but also to stay on top of all things pots-related. To share what we’ve learned, last fall we produced a report, “2023 State of the Pot,” with the inside story. We encourage you to read the entire report, but to whet your interest, here are the highlights.

Plastic Pots Today

  • Pots of all types dominate in the US at 68% of nursery stock sold and 98% of herbaceous perennials sold.
  • Plastic pots are single use packaging, often created from virgin petroleum  and alternatives are not available in larger sizes and necessary quantities.
  • The plastics picture:  
    • The US is the world’s top generator of plastic waste at last count (2016).
    • 75.6% of plastics in the US were landfilled at last count (2018).
    • Over 99% of plastic resins produced globally are made from fossil-based feedstocks; less than 1% are biobased. 
    • Polystyrene, often the material used in cell packs or flats, has the highest cradle-to-grave emissions of all the plastic resins.

Alternative Pots

  • Another way to describe them is “biobased,” which means made from plants and other renewable natural materials such as paper, fiber, or manure.
  • Alternative pots can also be bioplastic, a type of plastic that is plant-based.
  • Some are in production now  such as CowPots, EllePots from Denmark and The HC Company from Twinsburg, Ohio produces 3 types of pots from recycled materials.
  • Proven Winners Eco+containers are made from PLA (polylactic acid), a bioplastic derived from starchy renewable plants like corn, switchgrass, and sugar beets. The pots are compostable in industrial settings and are certified by the USDA BioPreferred program. 

How to Identify More Sustainable Pots (Report, p. 5)

When the pot is petroleum-based plastic:

  • Does it contain recycled content? The percentage may not be labeled, so be prepared to ask. 
  • Is the pot being reused? Many growers are reusing pots as often as possible. The more mileage you can get out of a single pot, the better.

When the pot is a biobased alternative:

  • Has the pot been certified by an independent third party? Many alternative pots have attained certifications verifying the products’ attributes. The value of certifications works both ways:  consumers can be assured that the manufacturer’s claims are true, and manufacturers gain an advantage over their competitors.

Certifications to look for include:

  • BPI – BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) provides third-party verification that a product is compostable in industrial settings. Their website provides the ability to search for BPI-certified products. 
  • FSC – The Forest Stewardship Council certifies chain of custody on products containing forest content according to rigorous standards.
  • OMRI – Certification from the Organic Materials Research Institute means that a product meets organic certification requirements.
  • USDA BioPreferred – A program operated by the US Department of Agriculture that certifies biobased content. It publishes an online database of certified products which can be found here.
  • Does the product meet any ASTM standards? Currently there are no ASTM standards (international voluntary and consensus products standards developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials) for pots made with recycled plastic content, but there are standards for compostability. ASTM conformance should be indicated on the product labeling.

Disposal: Where They Go

  • For plastic, it’s a mix of recycling and reuse, but most become waste. Alternatives can return to the soil, but it’s complicated (Report, p. 6–7).
  • Recycling has not kept up with the generation of plastic waste, so more of it is going into landfills and incinerators.
  • There are options other than landfill and incineration. 
    • Recycling plastic offers potentially a 30-40% reduction in emissions. 
    • Read what others are doing (Report, p. 7).
A flow chart showing the life cycle of plastic pots vs. alternative pots

Life Cycles of Nursery Pots

What We’d Like to See (Report, p.8)

  • Decreased use of virgin plastic in plant pots. 
  • An end to the tax subsidies to the US fossil fuel industry, which makes virgin plastic less expensive. 
  • Labeling of Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) content in plastic pots. 
  • ASTM standards for plastic pots with recycled content. 
  • Phasing out use of polystyrene (PS, resin #6) in plant pots. Alternatives could replace the PS often used in cell packs or flats. 
  • Carbon footprint data, such as CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent, a unit of measurement that is used to standardize the climate effects of various greenhouse gasses) on both plastic and biobased pots. 
  • Avoidance of incineration for plastic waste until there is clear data that the advantages of incineration (converting waste to energy) outweigh the disadvantages (increased emissions, material loss, air pollution, residual toxic ash requiring management).
  • Improved recycling for plastic waste that is more efficient, reduces leakage of plastic waste during the processing, and is as simple as possible for consumers to comply with. 
  • Pots designed not only for use, but also for end-of-life disposal. 
  • Clear product-specific guidance on whether a pot can be composted, and what conditions are necessary. 
  • Broad, extensive establishment of industrial composting sites. 
  • HEAVY CONSUMER DEMAND FOR BETTER OPTIONS.

What You Can Do 

Demand matters. Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet aims to impress manufacturers and growers with market demand for more sustainable plant pots, evidenced by the strength of our coalition. We are gathering a group of supporters whose numbers and backgrounds demonstrate strong interest, as well as a passion to embrace greener alternatives. The individuals and organizations who have signed on are indicating that they want more sustainable options for plant pots with a more environmentally sound disposal. Our goal is that manufacturers will recognize this as a viable market opportunity to tap, and that consumers of pots—especially growers—would see advantages to switching to alternatives. Simply signing on is a powerful contribution.

Beyond signing on, there’s more you can do. Use the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet logo on your correspondence and social media. Include the project note we’ve written (Report, p. 9) on your design plans, asking for the specified plants to be produced and delivered in pots that are other than 100% virgin plastic. Ask for confirmation of recycled content in plastic pots. And ask your colleagues, connections, and other organizations to join you in supporting Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet.

In the words of Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher in the 6th century BC:  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Big accomplishments begin with small actions. Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet looks forward to a day when alternative pots are readily available, affordable, and the norm.

In 2021, The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) launched the Healthy Pots, Healthy Planet initiative to reduce reliance on single-use plastic horticultural pots by advocating for biodegradable, compostable and reusable, or recycled alternatives. Then, the default option was pots made from virgin plastic.