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Sustainable and Innovative Products

 

Less plastic, more recycled
Lower environmental impact

 

With the aim of reducing the consumption of packaging materials, the waste generated during the process, and making a gradual transition to materials that favour recycled materials in their composition, new practices were implemented and new investments were studied, which would ensure the perfect packaging of the product and allow for a lower environmental impact in the use of packaging materials.

In 2023, and following the reduction path, the Vicaima Group was able to achieve a reduction in plastic consumption of around 10% compared to 2022 and a significant reduction of 32% compared to the reference year 2018, when the "Less Plastic" project began.

 

What is the "LessPlastic" project?

 

The "LessPlastic" project was launched in 2018, with a dedicated team that has been working on key points associated with packaging over the last few years, including:

  • Optimisation of palletising processes to reduce stretch film consumption
  • Reduction of waste associated with the adjustment of plastic reels used in the individual product packaging process
  • Selection of materials that favour recycled contente
  • Promoting the use of cardboard boxes instead of shrink wrap
  • Specification of new equipment and research into new types of packaging

 

Transition to plastic with
recycled content exceeds
2023 target

 

 

The possibility of using recycled plastic in the packaging of our products is relatively recent and has been growing in the Group’s industrial activities. The results achieved in 2023 demonstrate this, as the target for that year was 35% of global plastic consumption incorporating at least 30% recycled material, a figure that was far exceeded, reaching 49%.

Vicaima Limited has also consolidated the positive trend, achieving 99% plastic consumption with at least 30% recycled by 2023.

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

Investment in new hybrid technology boosts use of cardboard packaging

In 2022 we installed a new door packaging line at Vicaima Indústria, which combines shrink wrap and carton packaging technologies in a single line and can be carried out in individual operations or in combined mode. This investment allows us to use shrink-wrap with a 20% reduction in grammage, reducing waste by the width of the plastic used, particularly in setup changes and lower energy consumption in the tunnel.

During 2023, after several equipment optimisation projects had been developed, the transition from plastic to cardboard packaging was already implemented in Portaro® technical solutions (Fire, Fire and Acoustic and Security).

By 2024, we aim to continue this transition process by extending it to other product ranges and reinforcing our commitment to more sustainable, recyclable packaging with less environmental impact.