Stylish, Biodegradable, or Recyclable: The New Frontier of Packaging

The world of food packaging is undergoing a true revolution, driven by an extremely promising protagonist: paper. Packaging: paper is the fastest-growing food packaging material. As environmental concerns rise and consumers become increasingly aware of their choices, the food packaging industry is shifting toward sustainable and innovative solutions. In this context, paper emerges as the fastest-growing material, bringing a range of benefits that go far beyond environmental sustainability. Read also: “Reducing the environmental impact of packaging: what Europe mandates” Sustainability comes first One of the primary reasons paper is experiencing strong growth as a food packaging material is its eco-sustainability. Unlike traditional plastic packaging options, paper is biodegradable and compostable. This characteristic not only reduces negative environmental impacts but also meets the demands of a market increasingly focused on sustainability. Consumers actively seek products that reflect their ecological values, making paper an attractive option for brands wishing to stand out. Saying goodbye to plastic has become more and more important for modern consumers, and paper packaging is rapidly becoming the answer to this need. An increasing number of Italian families are embracing the idea of more sustainable packaging, with 65% in 2022 choosing a product specifically because of its eco-friendly packaging. Meanwhile, 19% gave up on buying a product due to its unsustainable packaging. Versatility and adaptability Paper offers high versatility, adapting to a wide range of packaging needs. From bags to boxes, and from tissue paper to folding containers, paper lends itself to multiple applications without compromising food quality or safety. Its flexibility allows packagers to create tailor-made solutions that meet the specific preservation and presentation needs of each product. According to research by Nomisma, the trend toward paper and cardboard is not just about beverages, but is gaining ground in every food sector, from fruit and vegetables to frozen foods. This reflects a significant cultural shift, with consumers placing higher value on packaging sustainability in every single part of their shopping cart. The power of recycling Italy has proven to be a powerhouse in recycling, generating 1 billion and 525 million euros in environmental benefits in 2021 through packaging recycling and recovery, according to the Conai Sustainability Report. This not only helps to save raw materials but also significantly reduces primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Italy, already a European leader in per capita packaging recycling, is in a privileged position to guide Europe toward a more sustainable future. Protection and freshness Contrary to common perception, paper is not just a sustainable choice, but also offers effective protection for food. Thanks to advancements in paper production technology, it is possible to develop solutions that maintain food freshness, protecting products from external factors such as light and moisture. This translates into longer shelf life for food products and a reduction in waste. Beyond practical aspects, paper also helps enhance the consumer experience. Its tactile and visual nature creates a unique sensory experience, evoking a sense of authenticity and connection with the product. Brands can leverage this feature to communicate their commitment to sustainable practices and create an emotional bond with consumers. Cart-One has always been a promoter and implementer of the circular economy—the produce-consume-regenerate-recover model—ensuring that our production waste becomes a paper reel and, ultimately, a box once again within our facilities. We firmly believe in protecting the environment, which is why we pay the utmost attention to saving raw materials and continuously improving our production processes, aimed at reducing our impacts on water, air, and soil. Contact us for more information or to request a free quote for your packaging. Cart-One specializes in specific packaging for companies that produce and sell pasta, water, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages such as beer, fruit, vegetables, canned tuna, milk and dairy products, sweets, and chocolate. Together, we will find the solution best suited to your needs. To learn more: “Sustainable and recycled paper for product packaging: case studies”

The evolution of packaging does not only occur in terms of sustainability: today, more and more often we talk about functional packaging, taking care to distinguish between: active packaging intelligent packaging But let's take one thing at a time and understand what the characteristics of functional packaging are, and when we are dealing with active packaging or intelligent packaging. What is meant by functional packaging? We are dealing with functional packaging when a material, container, or accessory that constitutes the packaging manages to serve multiple functions. The difference with traditional packaging lies in the fact that this packaging performs an additional function which, beyond mere containment, integrates and interacts with the content in order to improve its acceptability and shelf life. Functional packaging solutions are already in use in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, where the product must not only be preserved, but requires the packaging to perform an action that allows for the control of quality and the preservation state of the product itself. Active packaging and intelligent packaging: differences Among functional types of packaging are active packaging and intelligent packaging. Regarding active packaging, this expression refers to all those solutions that interact with the content by controlling the internal atmosphere. The material can release antimicrobials, antioxidants, and other useful substances that improve product quality. Intelligent packaging, on the other hand, is characterized by the presence of an indicator that can be positioned either inside or outside a package. The purpose of the latter is to actively represent the history of the product in relation to its quality level. What is the purpose of intelligent packaging? In this sense, the purpose of active and intelligent packaging is threefold since they must: reduce the rate of quality degradation provide protection from all possible contaminations be simple and practical to move and use For example, among the functions that can be attributed to intelligent packaging is the possibility to interact with the package environment and with the consumer. Through this function, it is possible to record important variations for the purpose of proper food preservation, signaling any abuse through color changes.

One of the "hottest" topics of the last period is certainly that concerning the prospects of recycling and recovery of packaging. If at first the COVID-19 pandemic had beneficial effects on the environment, over time this result could easily be compromised by the production of new non-recyclable waste: we are obviously talking about disposable masks and plastic gloves, often abandoned on the street after use. Once again, it is therefore necessary to rethink our lifestyles, in order to benefit the environment and the entire community. What is sustainable packaging? Sustainable packaging is not just a recyclable packaging, but a product conceived and designed by saving on the material used to favor its recycling and recovery fiber through specific actions, which can represent various advantages in terms of environmental protection and savings in productive processes. From the consumers' point of view, paper and glass are considered the best packaging: taking advantage of this consideration, it is necessary to encourage their recovery and recycling. In particular, paper is recognized, at the level of general perception, precisely for its sustainability, recyclability and biodegradability (Considerations from a survey by TwoSides and OnePool). Why is it important to support paper recycling? Paper, like cardboard, has an intrinsic value, being a natural product of plant origin, but it also has its own value linked to the ability to recycle. The percentage recovered, in fact, reserves most of the forest and manage the green heritage in a sustainable manner. The commitment made by companies, but also by ordinary citizens, for the recovery of paper, has been significant up to now: thanks to the actions undertaken by Conai and Comieco, it has gone from being importers of paper to be recycled to exporters. The paper recycling in Italy: where we are? Italy has reached an important milestone at European level, boasting the second place for per capita recycling rate. If only one in three packaging was recycled in the 1990s, today the percentage has risen to 71%, of which we distinguish 81% relating to cardboard packaging alone. With these so important estimates, which bring us close to the 85% threshold (goal to be achieved by 2030 according to European directives), it is clear that we must not only act in terms of sustainable recycling, but also in the design of low environmental impact packaging. The packaging design must not only be recyclable, but it must be designed to be recycled: in this way it will also be possible to promote the improvement of the quality of the recovered waste. Separate collection must be thought for all recyclable materials, for the functioning of the supply chain. In this sense, especially for polylaminate materials, which combine plastic materials with paper, it is necessary to offer the consumer clear and simple indications on how to separate and dispose of this type of packaging. More and more often we talk of "talking packaging", which can offer all the information necessary for proper recycling, even using the most modern technologies, such as the augmented reality app developed by Conai in partnership with Tecnoalimenti. But Italy is also at the forefront in terms of strategies and techniques for recovering polylaminate packaging. Another goal to be achieved is the ability to deepen and further specialize separate waste collection through the division between paper and cardboard compared to beverage containers or other similarly made containers. By acting in this way, logistic routes can be differentiated and waste sent to specialized centers for treatment and recycling. EcoDTool the new Conai project for sustainable design Conai promoted the EcoDtool project to encourage the search for a sustainable packaging design. It is a scientific instrument of simplified analysis that measures the environmental impact. The factors taken into account are energy and water consumption and production-related CO2 emissions. The second phase concerns training, which through the study of the packaging life cycle and improvement actions promotes its sustainability. Finally, two other very important factors are introduced in the end of life, which take into consideration the secondary raw material that can be generated based on the variation of a circularity indicator that refers to reused, recyclable and recycled content. In this sense, CART-ONE has adopted a supply chain that favors the production and minimization of waste through processes that minimize the environmental impact and that adopt solutions for the recycling of production waste.