COMPANY INSIGHT

Scandolara Eco: Sustainable PE for a respectful policy towards the environment

Packaging is far more than just a container of a product. It has many features: It protects the content by isolating it from external agents like light, oxygen and moisture. It preserves the product and allows a longer storage and also permits a safe transport of sensitive goods that otherwise could not be conserved over distance and time. Primary packaging in particular gives products an appropriate shelter.

Apart from offering these qualities, packaging is also an important marketing tool adding values: It helps attract consumers and makes a product stand out from the crowd. Packaging is an information holder by sharing important details about the content and, last but not least, it increases the comfort of a product through smart handling criteria.

Packaging is a rather impactful container – but it is not only significant towards consumers. It also leaves traces on the environment. Final consumers now are becoming more sensitive and steadily increase their awareness of ecologic aspects. For these reasons, the preference for environmental friendly products is a steady trend demanding for non invasive alternatives. This has become a challenge for the industry which is called to offer valid options. They shall ideally consist in attractive packaging with a purpose that does not harm the environment.

Scandolara had started facilitating this policy already before 2009 with R&D activities on eco friendly materials and had won the national Italian packaging award Oscar dell’Imballaggio for this innovative tube called Green Heart. It was a multi layer tube with a percentage of recycled rHDPE. However, at that time the market was not ready yet and reacted with less than expected demand for such an unconventional composition that allowed a reduced use of virgin materials.

Today, at the contrary, we find a raising awareness for nature and a concrete demand for materials that do not harm the environment. Mindful consumers push the industry towards a drastic change in their product portfolio towards respectful substances that can be recycled. The functions as a packaging shall however be maintained or, even better, increased.

Scandolara sustains this shift and introduces a renewed product line called Scandolara Eco. It stands for sustainable PE materials that allow an environmentally conscious choice of collapsible primary packaging. Now it includes PURE Green from Braskem PE and Green HEART with recycled rHDPE from the 2009 edition. Both materials are valid alternatives to conventional materials, can be recycled and help protect nature.

In particular, PURE Green is polyethylene made from sugar cane. In simple words, the Brazilian producer Braskem takes the oil out of plastic by using a renewable plant source instead of the fossil energy petroleum. This helps reduce the CO2 emission and the carbon footprint. We can calculate the precise figure of the saving once our customer has defined all components of the packaging. After the polymerization of ethylene, Braskem PE offers the same characteristics as conventional PE in terms of stability, decoration and weldability. This makes the handling flawless and does not require extra investments of time and resources. Further to this, the I’m Green® label achievable on the printing ensures conscious brand holders the appreciation of eco sensitive communities.

Green HEART at the other hand is a mixture of materials by introducing recycled rHDPE. This helps reduce the use of virgin material and can be offered in blend or in a coextruded version. The result offers compatibility with bulk and excellent sealing properties. In both cases, Green HEART lowers the consumption of conventional PE to around 40%, closure excluded. The certified origin of the recycled PE material ensures a trusted source.

Scandolara Eco is an invitation to a conscious use of respectful materials for preserving the ecologic system without compromising the added values a collapsible primary packaging provides.