Reduce, reuse, recycle. The mantra to reduce waste and save resources is the rationale by which Conai, the National Packaging Consortium, awards the best Italian innovators. In the 2021 edition of theeco-design call, out of 326 applicants as many as 185 won over the jury. But the top 5 are leading the way in changes that leave their mark.
Best eco packaging, Coop superstar
The display hanger of undergarments is usually destined to become waste as soon as it is brought into the house. Coop revolutionized it by winning one of five super prizes. Precisely that for using recycled material and saving raw material.
The new, eco-friendlyversion of the hanger is an emblematic case of the sustainable transformation of everyday objects. In fact, it was also awarded in October 2021 by the Italian Packaging Institute.
It is made of 70 percent recycled plastic, sourced entirely from the recovery of industrial waste. It has been redesigned by reducing its weight and bulk and made even more functional so that it can be reused by consumers at home as a hanger or clamp/clamp.
Another 19 mentions for Coop
Conai also gave 19 other awards to Coop Italia (the highest number given to one company) in various categories of sustainable food and non-food packaging. It is credited with increasing the percentage of recycled plastics, eliminating nonessential components, and reducing or lightening (so-called degreasing) materials. A virtuous practice that Coop has been engaged in for some time, as we have seen.
Award-winning products include, for example, almond oil from the children’s line (Crescendo Coop) with the bottle made of 100 percent recycled plastic. Also, slicing trays, ‘lightened’ with major de-gramming, as well as the inclusion of information for proper dispatch to separate collection prior to the legislative requirement.
‘We are honored to receive these Awards, which by their value and quantity demonstrate Coop’s commitment to eco-compatibility of products from a circular economy perspective. It is a continuation of a path that had already seen us as winners in past editions‘, comments Renata Pascarelli, quality director of Coop Italy.
Other best practices awarded
Of the other four innovations recipients of Conai’s super award for packagingeco-design, two end up in the homes of consumers, who are responsible for the crucial proper disposal.
Henkel’s new bottle of ‘Perlana dark clothes’ detergent wins for facilitating recycling activities. The packaging is now made with 25 percent recycled plastic and a black dye, different from the previous one, suitable for sorting in recycling operations.
Instead, from Sales Ltd. comes an award-winning innovation in e-commerce. The company has modified its E/Pad polybags by making them fully recyclable.
The eco-packages of logistics
Finally, the other two best practices awarded go to improving packaging that the end consumer does not handle:
– plastic bread transport crates with collapsible, repairable and recyclable sides, made by IFCO Systems Italia S.r.l,
– fully traceable recycled plastic pallets so as to optimize their collection for reuse, designed by Bayer spa.
The full list of award-winning packaging is available on Conai’s website at this link.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
