How do we save the planet? The innovative contribution from Italy’s packaging valley
An increasingly green and environmentally aware Europe requires sustainable and clean production from all EU companies. Hence the European Commission’s proposal to reduce packaging waste by 15% per capita per country by 2040. By 2030, 20% of take-away beverage sales will have to be served in reusable packaging, rising to 80% in 2040. Single-use packaging will be banned in bars and restaurants, as will small bottles in hotels.
As a result of continuous alarming reports on the environmental situation, for several years environmental organisations around the world have been denouncing the damage caused by the abandonment of packaging, especially single-use plastic. A striking example is the situation in our oceans and rivers; it takes little to understand how the presence of non-biodegradable waste affects the health of the environment and many activities such as fishing. This evidence compels the European Commission to decisively address the issue of reducing the impact of certain materials on the environment by setting a deadline for their drastic elimination, which translates into activities to promote and disseminate the principles of the circular economy: reduce, reuse and recycle. Nevertheless, packaging waste continues to increase. It is estimated that 180 kg of waste is produced per European citizen each year and that 40% of the plastic and 50% of the paper used in the EU is used in packaging. This and many other reasons have led the European Commission to propose a new regulation on ‘packaging and packaging waste’, which aims to eliminate unnecessary packaging by promoting reuse, returnable packaging and recycling.
The Italian packaging valley: can packaging machines and environmental sustainability
A story that began immediately after the industrial revolution which, with the massive use of machinery and automation, the economic boom and the growth of cross-border trade, saw an increasing need to protect the quality of products during the various stages of the industrial chain. It was for this very purpose that packaging was born, grew and developed up to the present day, in all its forms and uses, capable not only of preserving and maintaining the initial integrity of the product, but also of representing an aesthetically effective advertising space for its recognisability. This is the reality we find in the territory stretching from Bologna to Reggio Emilia, today the largest European concentration of industries active in the production of machinery for the packaging and wra pping of products. The Italian Packaging Valley: over 600 companies, of which more than 200 specialise exclusively in automatic packaging, with an annual turnover of around €8 billion and a 22.5% growth in sales, mainly due to the increase in demand from abroad, which in the first quarter of 2023 soared to 16% against the domestic demand, which came in at 13.5%. A sector in which Italy is a world leader, second, by a narrow margin, only to German manufacturers, the Italian packaging valley, in the field of machines for packaging soft drinks and canned beers, boasts a reality that has made environmental sustainability its hallmark. Among the most important challenges for the future for the sector is, in fact, environmental sustainability, especially after the attention dedicated at European level to reducing the use of microplastics and consequently to the introduction of a Plastic Tax with the 2020 budget (but still unimplemented).
Ecocap’s and TopSyl: efforts to protect the environment with sustainable and customisable can packaging
The Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the European Council on Packaging and Packaging Waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904 and repealing Directive 94/62/EC, aims to reduce packaging waste by 15 % per capita per Member State by 2040, compared to 2018 values. This target is expected to be achieved progressively, from 5% by 2030 to 10% by 2035. According to the regulation, by 2030 all packaging will have to be fully recyclable and unnecessary packaging banned outright; according to the EU Commission, these measures will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from packaging to 43 million tonnes by 2030, compared to 66 million tonnes without further measures. At the same time, water consumption will be reduced by 1.1 million cubic metres and the cost of environmental damage will be reduced by EUR 6.4 billion. The proposal by Ecocap’s and Topsyl, companies that are part of the Cassoli Group, for sustainable and environment-friendly can packaging fits perfectly with the new guidelines and offers companies producing soft drinks, beer, mineral water and other canned beverages the opportunity for a change that will benefit consumers, who are increasingly aware of how important it is to protect the environment and the planet that hosts us. In fact, environmental sustainability has always been at the heart of Ecocap’s mission. Ecocap’s is committed every day to creating and introducing cutting-edge solutions that guarantee maximum performance with less environmental impact, promoting the use of sustainable packaging for cans. Ecocap’s machines and the patented TopSyl system enable beverage producers to protect and customise their canned beverages in a green and responsible way.
For more information on Ecocap’s packaging machines and Topsyl’s sustainable can covers visit:
