To help companies define whether materials and packaging are sustainable and functional, the project arises PACKCompute. It focuses on the research and generation of a new packaging development model based on the categorization of its sustainability and functionality through computational models.
It has the participation of entities such as the Container and Packaging Innovation Cluster, who coordinates the project; Functional Print Cluster, communication leader; he AINIA technology center y Nettrim Technology, specialists in technology services and outsourcing, who are responsible for technical development; Ródenas and Rivera, a leading company in the manufacturing of flexible containers and packaging, and IP3 Developments, an industrial flexible packaging company, which are the validating companies of the tool.
New consumer preferences
It should be noted that 79% of consumers are changing their purchasing preferences based on criteria of social responsibility and environmental impact of the company or product, according to a Capgemini report. In addition, companies must adapt to the obligations imposed by Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste. One of them focuses on improving the environmental impact of the type of packaging used.
In this sense, the project will achieve a from software with a double function. On the one hand, it will allow classify existing packaging based on its sustainability characteristics and functionality adequacy, helping companies in impact evaluation and decision-making. On the other hand, it will be a predictive tool of great value to support R&D&i in companies, since it will allow predicting the sustainability and functionality characteristics of a container before its development, thus contributing to saving time and money in the process of putting sustainable packaging solutions on the market.
To achieve this, the consortium is investigating the parameters on which companies in the packaging sector base their concept of sustainability and functionality, as well as in the printing sector. The project will generate knowledge in the form of reusable computational models based on real data that will be integrated into final software.
Finally, the project PACKCompute It has a budget of €136.953,00, and is co-financed with €105.343,00 by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism through the support program for Innovative Business Groups (AEI), within the framework of Next Generation aid. and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies.