As part of Barcelona Design Week, a round table was held online on sustainable food packagingIn which La Fageda, Nomon Design y Lantero Group shared their views and experiences, moderated by our magazine, News Packaging.
Oriol Goal, director of quality, innovation and environment of La Fageda, explained that La Fageda was born as a pilot experience to try to remove the mentally ill from psychiatric hospitals and social marginalization. It is a social project with a business structure: only in yoghurts it is already the second best-selling manufacturer brand in the yoghurt market in Catalonia, with a 7,4% share and 90 million units manufactured in 2019.
«We use plastic containers, polystyrene; cardboard with a very thin layer of plastic that allows the container to be watertight, and glass. … /… Our sustainability challenges are to continue developing the SDGs, to continue promoting circular economy projects and to continue generating less waste and improving recycling, ”said Oriol Gol. Regarding packaging, La Fageda is committed to a lower weight of packaging, PEFC cardboard, eco-design and the Knowledge Node on Packaging (in La Garrotxa, Catalonia), "a kind of cluster where we try to connect the needs of factories and producers with the knowledge of packaging manufacturers and universities," he added.
For its part, Esther agustench is creative director and partner of Nomon Design, a branding agency located in Barcelona that since 2006 has been accompanying companies to grow through design. «We are and want to be the most social and sustainable branding agency. … /… Our main objective is to obtain the B Corp certificate and join this movement to generate a positive impact ”, he declared.
Esther Agustench explained two Nomon Design projects, Lékué and LC Paper. "At a minimum, a packaging must protect and transport, but to be more sustainable one of the ways is to give it a dual use", he said in relation to the design of a limited edition of Lékué in which the product was wrapped in a kitchen apron. The second is the container for the toilet paper Dahlia from LC Paper, a company that has sustainability in its DNA. «We made cardboard packaging (when that of all competitive products is plastic)… /… the solution lies in the same product, which is more compact, and in the packaging solution, because the pallets are more compact and less air is transported. '
Maria Rodriguez Cid, Corporate Sustainability Manager of Lantero Group, one of the world leaders in the packaging, packaging and graphic arts sector, explained that the Lantero Group, with 702 million euros in turnover, 2756 employees and 32 plants, is made up of four divisions: Coexpan (rigid plastic sheet and thermoforming, experts in rigid packaging solutions), Emsur (flexible plastic foil and printing, flexible packaging), both in 8 countries, Leca Graphics (cosmetic and pharmaceutical packaging) and Estella Print (books and compact cardboard).
Regarding sustainability, "we work to develop packaging solutions that contribute to the availability of food and the reduction of waste and that can be recycled or compostable after use," said María Rodríguez Cid. Thus, they take into account eco-design, the promotion of plastic collection and the improvement of sorting and recycling processes. He also spoke about Innotech, "a packaging innovation center, which aims to be a meeting platform for both suppliers and customers as well as partners", since they collaborate with technology centers, start-ups, universities, etc. As packaging samples they are working on, María Rodríguez mentioned the compostable bag, the compostable coffee capsules, the corepet trays (up to 100% recycled content, food grade) and the monopolyolefin pouch.
Ecodesign, Materials and Consumer
After the first intervention of the speakers, three blocks dedicated to Ecodesign, Materials and Consumer were addressed.
El ecodesign it is one of the main instruments to generate quality products and services, respectful with the environment and socially responsible. The design of a part affects its entire life cycle. In the first block, it was debated to what extent ecodesign is taken into account when designing the packaging of a new product, to which Esther Agustench stated: «more and more, ecodesign is more in demand, but companies have his internal handicap ».
Oriol Gol agreed that it is an essential premise but that a constant balance must be sought. In this regard, María Rodríguez said: "the important thing is that the company is clear in its strategic lines where it wants to go, but a deadline must be given", coinciding with Oriol Gol that change at the industrial level entails great difficulty.
As for materials, it was debated whether biodegradable and compostable materials are really the solution or whether, depending on the case, it is not better to use materials such as paper / cardboard or post-consumer recycled plastic, which can be easily recycled. "The materials compostable They are essential but we do not yet have infrastructures for the collection of that organic or plants that make that industrial composting and that later that compost has a demand in the market, it is what we have to achieve together, ”said María Rodríguez, adding: sustainable depends on the destination of the waste ”.
At this point, Esther Agustench insisted on thinking about a global world, “in countries like Nepal, for example, without recycling systems or recycling culture, I would always advocate for a material biodegradable».
And Oriol Gol pointed out: "what does the product that I put in the container do against the container", that is to say, migration must be taken into account. For example, "a yogurt has live bacteria, ferments, which have activity on paper or a biodegradable material, which can biodegrade earlier than expected."
In the third block, it was evidenced that the table is more aware of the importance of recycling, of the consumption of km.0 products, of the need to know what ingredients the product contains and whether or not its packaging is recyclable. But do you really act like you think? That is, do you recycle properly? "He does want to put it into practice, but it is difficult here, today, in this country," said Esther Agustench.
Not always the consumer has the necessary information to recycle correctly; One option would be to find it easily in the same container. "A packaging has to protect, preserve, communicate and do pedagogy in this sense would also be a good contribution," said the creative director of Nomon Design. This is what La Fageda does, which indicates it both in the large yogurts and in the strip that groups the small ones. Finally, María Rodríguez highlighted the new European legislation in this regard.
The round table ended with a question and answer session.
