CONGRESSO GIFLEX 2023

La Posizione Di Giflex Su Lca Ed Economia Circolare

Che il mondo del packaging non sia il migliore dei mondi possibili lo ha ricordato il Presidente Giflex aprendo la seconda giornata del Congresso, invitando la filiera a prenderne atto, ma anche a uscire dalla propria zona di comfort cercando di proporre soluzioni in grado di anticipare le richieste del mercato. E se il legislatore ha deciso che è il packaging il problema assoluto, e che la quantità di packaging vada ridotta, l’intera filiera, indipendentemente dai materiali, deve unire i propri sforzi per far capire quanto in realtà sia utile. Concretamente quali sono le azioni che la filiera può mettere in atto?

L’Eco-Design è uno strumento straordinario nelle mani dei progettisti di packaging per guidare i clienti verso scelte che aiutino i prodotti a essere percepiti come positivi dai consumatori che hanno un ruolo sempre più attivo.

LCA e riduzione della Co2 sono temi centrali. Ma l’economia circolare è sempre la soluzione migliore? Per poter riutilizzare il materiale è richiesta molta energia (meno per gli imballaggi flessibili), e anche utilizzare le rinnovabili non è sufficiente. Sostenibilità ed economia circolare non vanno sempre accomunate ma è la riduzione della Co2 l’obiettivo da perseguire e per fare ciò l’unico strumento utile è la LCA. Pensare in maniera circolare va

We are therefore very proud of the partnership with Giflex which strengthens the Ipack-ima proposal, as flexible packaging is a very well represented sector at the fair”, comments Simone Castelli, CEO of Ipack Ima Srl. The fair has always paid particular attention to packaging materials, creating a brand like Ipack-Mat that brings together the companies that offer packaging materials at the fair with a focus on environmental impact issues. The goal is to create a platform for meeting and dialogue to achieve common goals, one of which is “design for recycling” and to showcase all the innovation that comes from the worlds of materials and technologies. Ipack-Ima is part of the Innovation Alliance together with Plast, Intralogistica and Print4All whose next edition is scheduled for 27 to 30 May 2025.

An interesting reflection on the youth world and their enhancement in the world of work was proposed by Vincenzo Galasso, Full Professor of Economics at Bocconi University, through the presentation of a research on meritocracy that is experienced negatively, capable of fueling strong pressure, anxiety and stress especially for those who fail to excel and are left behind. Furthermore, meritocracy, according to young people, generates an individualistic and competitive environment where the values of collaboration and community are not important anymore. Young people are therefore developing a new set of values different from those experienced and interpreted up to now which leads them to be more interested in post-materialistic values such as rights.

GIFLEX’S POSITION ON LCA AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Giflex president reminded that the world of packaging is not the best of all possible worlds when he opened the second day bene ma non può diventare una ideologia. L’equazione non deve essere packaging uguale rifiuto perché grazie al pack si evitano sprechi alimentari, che hanno costi ben superiori a quelli per la produzione degli imballaggi.

E proprio su questa strada si sta muovendo Giflex, come confermato da Andrea Cassinari di Gerosa Group e Coordinatore dei Comitati Scientifici dell’associazione che con Paola Riccardi, Packaging Consultant SRC Ingegneria, stanno lavorando a linee guida specifiche per l’imballaggio flessibile in grado di fornire valutazioni LCA in un contesto di circolarità, con risultati ripetibili, confrontabili e supportati scientificamente, con la consapevolezza che a oggi la diversità di approccio, di metodologie, la carenza di dati primari, non consentono di raggiungere l’obiettivo.

In tema di spreco alimentare, of the Congress, inviting the supply chain to take note of it, but also to get out of its comfort zone by trying to propose solutions capable of anticipating market demands. And if the legislator has decided that packaging is the absolute problem, and that the quantity of packaging should be reduced, the entire supply chain, regardless of the materials, must unite their efforts to make it clear how useful it is in reality. Concretely what are the actions that the supply chain can implement?

Eco-Design is an extraordinary tool in the hands of packaging designers to guide customers towards choices that help products to be perceived as positive by consumers who have an increasingly active role. LCA and CO2 reduction are central themes. But is the circular economy always the best solution? In order to reuse the material, a lot of energy is required (less for flexible packaging), and even using renewables is not enough. Sustainability and circular economy do not always have to be combined but the reduction of CO2 is the objective to be pursued and to do this the only useful tool is the LCA. Thinking in a circular way is fine but it cannot become an ideology. The equation must not be packaging is trash because thanks to the pack food waste is avoided, that have costs far higher than those for the production of packaging.

And Giflex is moving along this path, as confirmed by Andrea Cassinari of Gerosa Group and Coordinator of the Scientific Committees of the association who, with Paola Riccardi, Packaging Consultant SRC Ingegneria, are working on specific guidelines for flexible packaging able to provide LCA assessments in a circular context, with repeatable, comparable and scientifically supported results, with the awareness that to date the diversity of approaches, methodologies, the lack of primary data, do not allow to achieve the goal.

In terms of food waste, scientific studies have shown that the packaging system with the longest shelf-life represents the