Sujet

The sustainability of plastic packaging

Keep Calm & Recycle: We see prevention as resource conservation

Tube packaging from Pirlo minimizes the use of raw material and strives for it to be recycled and reused. Only where the collection and recycling systems are not yet fully developed, is thermal/energy recovery appropriate.

Our tube packaging is focused on sustainability in three ways. First, we apply the basic principle of using as little primary plastic material as possible. Second, we substitute primary plastic with sustainable materials where possible (e.g with our chalk tube).

Third, we engineer our tubes as thin and flexible as possible to enable complete emptying and avoid residue remaining in the packaging, which minimizes product waste and reduces the cleaning effort in the recycling process.

How are complete emptying and recycling related?

Two factors determine the ability to obtain high-quality recycled material from plastic waste:

  1. The material itself must be suitable for recycling (e.g. PE, PP, PET).
  2. The product residue in the plastic waste must be minimized to reduce the amount of water and energy required for cleaning.

We contribute towards achieving the goals within the framework of the CEP (Circular Economy Package) by making our tubes from recyclable material and engineering them to allow for emptying with minimal residue.

Why is packaging important?

Packaging protects the product from environmental hazards (e.g. pollution, UV rays) and protects the environment from the product (e.g. if the product is hazardous). Appropriate packaging enables the transport and protects the quality and longevity of its contents, thus preventing spoilage and waste. In addition, packaging must meet the requirements of the consumer for functionality and convenience.

The often-discussed single-use plastic guidelines (SUP) focus primarily on items such as cutlery, plates and drinking straws - and only secondarily on packaging.

However, they prescribe the very same guidelines we use in designing our packaging solutions:

  1. Reduction in the use of primary plastic
  2. Complete emptying to reduce product waste
  3. Reduction of packaging waste in terms of volume and weight