5 September 2024 – Five million tonnes of food waste collected from kitchens and canteens, 1.9 million tonnes of compost produced, 410,000 tonnes of organic carbon restored to agricultural soils, emission of 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent/year avoided compared to landfill disposals, 409 million cubic metres (Nm3) of biogas produced (411 GWh of electricity, 169 GWh of thermal energy and 167 million Nm3 of biomethane). In addition, €9.4 million was shared out among municipalities and separate waste collection managers throughout Italy, €436,000 was invested in research and development and 37,000 students were involved in educational activities. The year saw a whole raft of positive results in terms of environmental, social and economic impact, made possible by the Biorepack system and the compostable bioplastics packaging sector. The results were compiled by the Bocconi School of Management in Milan, which drafted Biorepack’s first Sustainability Report.

“The Sustainability Report presents an organisation’s environmental, social and economic performance,” explained Francesco Bertolini, a Fellow of Sustainability at Bocconi University’s School of Management (SDA Bocconi) who has conducted international research and teaching on sustainability issues for over 30 years. “It provides a summary of a company’s activities and impacts in these areas over a specific period of time. It is a key tool for transparent communication with stakeholders, whether investors, employees, customers, regulatory authorities, or local communities and citizens. It effectively documents the efforts an organisation makes to operate responsibly, reducing its environmental impact, promoting social wellbeing and governing ethically.”

In particular, the 2023 Report produced for Biorepack is the first complete document to address the issue of sustainability in the context of the Consortium’s activities: the Bocconi analysts focused on the year 2023 in producing the report (or 2022 where the most recent data was not yet available), with 2021 taken as “year zero” when assessing the degree of progress made.

The SDA Bocconi report also examines the close connection between the compostable bioplastics chain’s activities and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their analysis shows that choosing biodegradable and compostable packaging has a positive impact on many of the global goals identified by the UN. Of these, particularly positive impacts were noted in food security, sustainable economic growth, tackling climate change and the development of sustainable cities and communities.

“In its first three years, our consortium has enabled the bioplastics chain to make sure that organic recycling of its packaging products is managed in the best possible way, making a positive contribution to recycling in Italy and ensuring that citizens correctly dispose of packaging items in the separate collection of household food waste, all facilitated by correct labelling and ease of recognition,” said Marco Versari, president of Biorepack. “This has enabled us to make use of separately-collected food waste which, through composting, becomes a strategic biological resource for maintaining soil health.”

The Biorepack Sustainability Report also provides a snapshot of the environmental, social and economic performance of the consortium’s members; a way to provide them with an overview of the sector in a context of their contribution to greater sustainability.

The consortium recently distributed a questionnaire among its 222 members and potential end users of compostable packaging. The results showed that 64% of them know about the SDGs, half of the consortium’s members implement strategies to reduce their emissions, 35% reuse processing waste in their production processes and 30% calculate their CO2 emissions. In addition, 84% adopt initiatives and best practices for the management of their employees. Progress still needs to be made in deciding to produce a sustainability report (just 16% of companies currently do so), although a further 24% intend to publish one shortly.

“The transition from a linear to a circular economy has begun, but it is a long and complex journey with many stages. Biorepack wants to help companies deal with this complexity,” said Carmine Pagnozzi, general director of Biorepack. “On the one hand, we want to stimulate growth in the innovative bioplastics sector. On the other hand, we want to encourage a form of development in which performance is not judged solely in terms of economic results, but also using indicators compatible with a balance between the environment and society. Biorepack’s strategic plan is consistent with this framework. We will make every effort to consolidate this approach with all of our members, whether producers or users of bioplastics.”

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INFO STAMPA:
Barabino & Partners S.p.A.

Serena Galdo
s.galdo@barabino.it
Mob: +39 345.14.64.356

Domenico Lofano
d.lofano@barabino.it
Mob: +39 334.14.12.995