The importance of eco-design: COSSMA

Interview with:

Carlo Andriolo,
CEO Aliplast,
Ospedaletto d’Istrana, Italy

www.aliplastspa.com

COSSMA: What is your company’s contribution to this year’s Cosmopack factory special?

Carlo Andriolo, CEO, Aliplast: As a national and international expert in the production of high-quality recycled plastics, our company is taking part in Cosmopack with its factory project with a precise objective: to supply a type of recycled plastic with the same performance characteristics as virgin plastic which can be used to produce bottles for cosmetic products. We are focusing particularly on rPET, PET recycled from local post-consumer bottles using processes suitable for food contact products.

As in other fields, the values of sustainability and environmental protection have become decisive factors for maintaining customer trust, and this is why we believe it is essential for us to provide this service for businesses who choose to take concrete steps in this direction. Those of us with a good sense of what will become important in future know that quality means many different things these days, and it is no longer possible to focus on one single aspect at the expense of the others. Consumer demands, which are increasingly complex and sophisticated, filter through the entire value chain and must be met with convincing solutions, such as those we provide with our plastic.

What makes your contribution sustainable?

At our company, we oversee the entire lifecycle of our plastics, preventing it from becoming a problem and transforming it into a resource for the environment and the many economic supply chains that rely on our products. Since 1982, we have aimed to tangibly implement the fundamental principles of the circular economy, and studies on the carbon footprint of our products have shown excellent results from an environmental standpoint.

With a recovery rate of more than 90% of inbound volumes and more than 80 thousand tonnes of plastic recycled each year, we prevent the emission of over 150 thousand tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.

Furthermore, since 2017 we have been part of the Hera Group, one of the leading Italian multi-utility groups and a leader in the environmental sector which has made sustainability one of the cornerstones of its business strategy. This has enabled us to increase the scale of our activities, giving even greater scope to the business and sustainability prospects in which we want to engage our customers. Our commitment in this regard has been fundamental in enabling the Hera Group to enter CE100, the prestigious international network of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation that unites the top 100 businesses leading the field in the transition towards a circular economy at a global level. In this context, we will make a decisive contribution to the commitment recently undertaken by the Hera Group; along with 250 other companies from around the world, the Group has signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an international protocol for the reduction of plastic-related pollution.

What are your company’s most important measures in the field of sustainability?

We invest in research and innovation, using the best technologies available in our sector. What is more, we have an internal laboratory and a R&D team of highly specialised experts which enable us to monitor our processes continually, with sampling and tests conducted constantly throughout the different phases of the production cycle.

We believe in the importance of eco-design, a principle that inspires the design and creation of all of our products, helping us to transform our business into a strategic lever aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the economic context in which we operate.

What are your company’s most innovative offers in the field of sustainability?

While innovation and sustainability are the founding principles of our business strategy, one of our most innovative proposals in this regard is the PARI System, our proprietary short-chain network which enables LDPE plastic packaging films to circulate in a closed-loop system certified by Aliplast, which collects it, recycles it and puts it back on the market in the same film form. The volumes concerned are significant: in the course of a year, the PARI System can put over 10 thousand tonnes of packaging made with recycled plastic onto the market. Companies may become customers because it reduces their environmental impact, gives them access to high-quality products, and saves them money… and we make it very convenient.

What is your main offer for the cosmetics industry?

We know that the cosmetics industry has very precise and complex needs, because it requires an aesthetically attractive product with excellent transparency, as well as swift and high-quality service. This is why, in order to help our clients overcome their challenges, we offer our polymers which, besides being made of 100% recycled plastic, offer the same performance as virgin material. We can guarantee high transparency in the packaging to enhance their product, and gloss, for perfect looks. What is more, the plastic we supply offers excellent results when it comes to durability, both in terms of resistance over time and its ability to stay intact in case of impact. These characteristics are bolstered by the added value of particularly versatile products, ready for both injection moulding and extrusion and therefore ideal to meet the requirements of any manufacturing business.

As we consider our clients true partners, we study their businesses thoroughly to fully understand their specific characteristics and provide a high standard of service that is fast, highly customised and functional. Our PET and PE granules, for example, are developed with the utmost focus on our clients’ needs, fulfilling their requirements with completely personalised solutions, able to make a real difference to their business.

Cosmopack Factory 2019 features No.CO
The 7th edition of The Cosmopack Factory project will present the production process of the sustainably produced scalp oil No.Co – No Compromise with natural ingredients and the primary packaging made of 100% recycled PET. The design of the bottle has been developed by the international agency Centdegrés; the technologies used for the realisation of the project are provided by Cosmoproject for the formula, Omas Tecnosistemi for the machinery, Verve for packaging, and Aliplast for the regenerated PET polymer for the production of the bottle.

What is your most innovative offer for the cosmetics industry?

Like all really complicated things, the most innovative aspects of our products are invisible to the naked eye and concern the very nature of the processes we use to create them. Supported by our certified management system, we use cutting-edge processes whose several phases (cleaning, washing, regranulation and extrusion) are carried out using state-of-the-art technology, to meet high quality standards. Simply consider that our rPET used in the factory is created using a process that has received positive opinion for food contact by the EFSA, the European Food Standards Agency.

Cosmopack Factory: Verve’s contribution
Verve produced the mould and blew the bottles for the requested hair scalp oil for this year’s Cosmopack Factory and also decorated the bottles with silkscreen printing. Verve’s decoration capacity for silkscreen comprises up to 5 colours in line and printing at 360° on irregular shapes such as square and oval. The company promotes the use of recycled and bio-based materials and produces renewable energy. Their green-lab organisation supports customers in developing sustainable products and helps them to minimise material weight of secondary packaging and transport costs by selecting the best performing materials with the lowest carbon footprint. www.vervespa.it