Italy can produce 100% plastic-free packaging for the fruit and vegetable sector

“The official data of the environmental balance of paper production, by considering the entire tree-farm cycle for its production, that is, from when the trees are planted, has shown a positive trend. It means that in the entire paper production cycle, the amount of CO2 absorbed by forests and transformed into oxygen by chlorophyll photosynthesis is higher than the CO2 emitted for paper production from those same forests. The intent of the European Commission’s directive is not to demonize plastics, but to prevent their abuse.” Thus Giuseppe Merloni, Ceo for the fruit and vegetable sector of the Italian company inKarta.

“With regard to the fruit and vegetable segment,” explains Giuseppe Merloni, “until 6 years ago, technological solutions did not allow the use of paper packaging due to functional technical issues. At Fruit Logistica in Berlin 2023, we noticed that the number of companies offering paper packaging is growing, a sign that the path taken years ago was the right one.”

“In terms of intellectual honesty, it must be noted that in the plethora of companies announcing alternative solutions to plastics, there are of course materials that are less sustainable than single-material plastic packaging. This is not to say that the path taken with paper packaging in the fruit and vegetable segment is a mistake; if anything, the mistake lies in pretending that there is no pollution from plastics and microplastics already present in the human food chain.”

inKarta makes sustainable packaging made entirely from virgin kraft paper and cellulose hydrate. All materials are obtained from renewable plant-based sources, therefore, sustainable, plastic free, recyclable and certified. While the packaging transition requires time and resources for adjustment throughout the supply chain, having a technology that can work with all materials available on the market is certainly MVP-850’s strength.

“Together with the staff of Policarta srl, we have developed flexible packaging that can be used with commercially available technology, with no additional adjustment costs for the green transition. The work done over the years with the most important mechanical companies in the fruit and vegetable sector – such as Ulma, Ilapack, Jasa, Sorma, Martini, RGDMape, Record, Belca, PFM, GKS, Affelt, GNA – assures us that paper with NoW technology, can be used in fruit and vegetable warehouses all over the world. In this direction, as a result of this experience together with Cosmec srl, we are providing vertical packaging machines with higher performance than machines designed for plastic packaging.

“At this time of transition,” concluded Giuseppe Merloni, “Cosmec technology allows all materials to be processed, while waiting for the Italian legislative process to better define the best way to proceed within the fruit and vegetable system, which, by nature, depends on the environment, since a healthy environment produces healthy fruits and vegetables. France, Scandinavia, and Switzerland have already implemented the transition. Spain, as of January 1, 2023, is the pioneer nation in the European Union as it has introduced the plastic tax, the tax on non-reusable plastic packaging. Apparently, there is also a proposal in Italy for 2024, thus it all remains to be seen.”

(Source: https://www.freshplaza.com/europe/article/9509187/italy-can-produce-100-plastic-free-packaging-for-the-fruit-and-vegetable-sector/)