Italy introduced a series of disposable tableware. These products are made of plastic resin and their main ingredient is corn. Although technically they are not edible, their presence will bring innovation to the packaging market.
Coop Italia's customers sold out the new corn plastic resin disposable tableware produced by NatureWorks. The product was launched in April of 2004 and is made of NatureWorks® polylactic acid (PLA) polymer resin, which is a trademark of the supermarket. Its sales are unusually hot, and 2 million dishes and 4 million cups have been sold.
Ulisse Pedretti, environmental protection manager of Coop Italia, said: “Our customers have shown a strong interest in this product and have been actively purchasing it. This year's sales are growing steadily and are expected to double by the end of the year.â€
This cutlery was first introduced in Europe by Coop Italia as part of its eco-friendly brand line. The brand series was launched in 2000 and initially included food products and 11 non-food products. Pedretti explained that eco-friendly brand products focus on protecting the environment today and creating a better future. Due to the environmental protection requirements, this kind of tableware made from NatureWorks polylactic acid has become one of the few non-food products marked with eco-friendly brands.
According to NatureWorks, NatureWorks polylactic acid is made from corn and is the first commercially available biopolymer. It is a renewable resource with performance equal to or better than traditional resins. The packaging made of polylactic acid is a pure natural product that can be 100% degraded.
Business application succeeded
Coop Italia used polylactic acid for the first time in early 2004, and used polylactic acid-made transparent plates (in three sizes) instead of foamed polystyrene plates in some stores for fresh cheese products. Stefano Cavallo, NatureWorks' Southern Europe business manager, said that although these dishes have been widely favored by consumers, it is still a process that requires all of Coop Italia's stores to adopt the product, which is currently only 50%. The reason is that the product is not their own product, so each store has the right to decide whether to use it. Currently, the goal of Coop Italia is to use this polylactic acid plate in all stores before 2006.
In addition, Coop Italia has tried other forms of polylactic acid packaging and has sold ready-to-eat organic tomatoes in covered pods for a period of time. However, it was found that the introduction of such a package in Coop Italia's entire supply chain would be a long and complicated process because the number of its suppliers was too large. For example, Coop Italia's own-brand salad has four different suppliers. Cavallo said that although this process is more complicated, the group plans to replace all the polypropylene and fruit packaging packaging with polylactic acid in 2006.
At the same time, Coop Italia has launched its own brand of eco-friendly tableware in its 1,200 stores to further demonstrate its environmental protection efforts. Including 200mL size transparent cups, 25 one pack. These cups are mainly used for cold drinks and are the same price as the previous EPS series.
The eco-friendly series of plates and bowls are 15 packs in an opaque, 21 cm (8.3 inch) diameter, with a bowl depth of 3 cm (1.2 inches). Because these plates and bowls are designed to hold cooked foods that can reach temperatures as high as 176 degrees Fahrenheit, the production process can be relatively long, and its cost can therefore rise. Cavallo explained: “Although the cups have the same productivity as conventional polystyrene plastic cups, the production of polylactic acid plates and bowls is relatively low. In order for the plates to achieve a certain degree of heat resistance, the polymers must be crystallized. This means that it will be slowly cooled, so that the output of the product will be reduced by half within the same time." He added that installing more efficient cooling equipment can greatly reduce the unit time for producing a polylactic acid plate or bowl.
Application and promotion of polylactic acid
Since the production of NatureWorks polylactic acid (PLA) polymer, the world’s largest plant of NatureWorks (formerly Cargill Dow), was commissioned in April 2002 in Blair, Nebraska, USA, the application of this renewable plastic in packaging has been rampant. Throughout Europe, it has also been widely welcomed in the United States.
All polylactic acid packages used by Coop Italia (including trays for cheese and other cutlery) are provided by ILIP, located in Bologna, Italy, which is part of the ILPAsrl company.
The best time to launch its new polylactide tableware is at the turn of spring and summer. This is the peak time of summer dinner in the open air, together with a series of advertisements for eco-friendly products, resulting in an ideal result. Cavallo said that in the first month they sold more than 500,000 cups and more than 400,000 dishes. In the following month, the sales volume doubled and it is expected to double by the end of the year.
Cavallo concluded that the main reason why these products are so popular is that they are made from renewable materials. Today's consumers are increasingly focused on environmental protection and do not want to rely too much on petroleum products. He said: “The cutlery made from NatureWorks polylactic acid provides consumers with a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative. It is as convenient, solid and affordable as ordinary plastic products, and its materials are renewable.â€
Source: Packaging Expo