The Italian baby food company makes a further step towards the circular economy
Plasmon is a company part of the H.J. Heinz group, which specialized in baby food. They offer a broad line of products, including homogenized foods, cookies, and snacks for young children. They recently launched new packaging for their "Spremi e Gusta" (Squeeze and Taste) product. It is made entirely of polypropylene and is therefore fully recyclable. To promote the new format, they changed the product name to "Spremi, Gusta e Riciclami", which we can translate into Squeeze, Taste and Recycle.
Gualapack is an Italian firm that deals with packaging. They have been collaborating with Plasmon for almost ten years, and they are supplying this new line of pre-made pouches called "Pouch 5". They designed the model for the collection, sorting, and recycling in the PP stream. It is already available in DP 70 ml, DP 90 ml, and DP 110 ml versions - with other sizes and shapes currently under development. The pouches are fully recyclable and offer a high barrier against oxygen and water vapor. The supplier has developed two different models of the product: one suitable for fresh liquids and dairy products and one for hot-fill and pasteurized applications.
This innovation gives Plasmon the distinction of being the first company to launch on the Italian market a food product for children with fully recyclable packaging. Furthermore, the company has made sure that the cap respects the international anti-choking standards. It is called BabyCap, has a diameter of 32 millimeters, and has holes that allow the baby to breathe even if the kid ingests it. It is also composed of polypropylene and can therefore be included in the mechanism of the circular economy.
Andrea Budelli is the president of Continental Europe of The Kraft Heinz Company, the firm owning Plasmon. Regarding this issue, he said that through this operation, Plasmon reaches the goal of having 97% of fully recyclable packaging placed on the Italian market. He added, “Sustainability, innovation, and quality are the cornerstones of our daily commitment oriented towards an approach that has always taken environmental impact into account.”
Mr. Budelli continues “The pouches are the first major project that step by step will lead us in 2025 to have 100% of our packaging completely recyclable, compostable, or reusable. Thanks to this operation, in just one year, it will be possible to give new life to over 270 tons of plastic, which will become new containers, caps, textile fibers, components for cars and household appliances, laboratory equipment, and much more.”
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