Disposable aluminium dishes: 100% recycled and infinitely recyclable

The health emergency has imposed new lifestyles and consumption, among which the growing demand for takeaway food and the relative expansion of food delivery services stands out. The result of Contital research - a leading company in the production and distribution of aluminium containers - the new premium line of dishes offers a concrete and sustainable answer to these emerging needs.

Pasquale Pollice, direttore commerciale Contital

In such a complex moment, in which people have changed their lifestyles according to precautionary measures to counter the spread of Covid-19, the world of food delivery has also had to organize - and in part it is still doing it - to meet the needs of consumers and comply, at the same time, with the regulations in force, guaranteeing the highest quality and safety standards.

Stimulated by the emergency to seek new packaging solutions suitable to satisfy the new way of consuming food, Contital responds by launching a brand new premium line of aluminium containers: extra-rigid plates, suitable for traditional and microwave ovens and complete with liquid-saving lid, are produced with smoothwall technology, which in recent years has seen widespread use in northern Europe and the United States.

Pasquale Pollice, Commercial Director of Contital (the Campania-based company, leader in the production and distribution of aluminium containers), talks about it and illustrates how the company is facing these epochal changes by focusing on research, development and innovation in the name of circular economy.

Your new range of Aluminium Plates shows how attentive Contital is to consumers’ needs, to the point of devising a line of products capable of responding to the needs of a market increasingly oriented towards the concept of sustainability ...

Indeed, for some time now, companies have had to deal with the choices of consumers who are very attentive to the type of packaging they put in the shopping cart. As for disposable containers, their choices are generally directed towards two types: packaging made with compostable materials derived from natural raw materials (corn, beets) which, in any case, take resources away from human consumption, or with recyclable materials, such as aluminium.

Investing in the development of recycled and infinitely recyclable aluminium plates allows us today to provide a sustainable answer because only thanks to recycling - a fundamental requirement of the circular economy - can we contribute to preserving the environment.

Contital is able to make recycled aluminium plates, thus avoiding the use of primary material, which translates into a 95% energy saving.

And also the new European directive, which will ban the sale of disposable plastic dishes from January 1, 2021 with the aim of reducing their impact on the environment, represents one more reason to move forward in the direction of recyclability.

Why should a consumer buy this new product? What are the benefits?

The Contital aluminium plate is light, suitable for the transport, storage and heating of food both in traditional and microwave ovens. It has an elegant design, withstands a temperature of over 170 ° C and has a competitive cost both in comparison with paper and with bioplastics.

As for the end of life, it is disposed of in the bins of all Italian municipalities, from where a new life begins again through the recycling process.

And specifically for food delivery, what is the biggest plus of aluminium?

Those who use aluminium packaging to preserve, transport and heat food first of all make a responsible choice towards the environment. Using aluminium packaging gives the guarantee that, after each use and correct disposal, it will certainly be recycled, turning into a new product. Aluminium is in fact infinitely recyclable and the recovery chain in Italy is among the most efficient in the world: just think that, in 2019, the data of aluminium recycling in Italy speak of percentages higher than 80% and that, in the world ranking, our country ranks third with Germany, after the United States and Japan.

What impact has Covid-19 had on the company’s production and orders? Did you have problems finding the material?

Let’s start from a fundamental assumption: aluminium is the third most widespread element on the earth’s crust and constitutes 8% in the form of mineral (bauxite). With features that make it suitable for numerous uses - in construction as in the aerospace industry, in electronics and in packaging - the availability of this precious raw material is really wide. So, even during the pandemic period, supplies were regular.  

Did the choices and technological investments undertaken in the past prove useful to face the situation?

Certainly. In the past two years we have invested in research and innovation. The result of this work is precisely the patent of the recycled aluminium plate whose launch, although taking place close to the outbreak of the pandemic, is having a response that exceeds all expectations.

In fact, a few weeks after the official presentation, this project has already received two awards in Italy - the ADI Packaging Design Award, won in the Non-Food sector, and the Bronze A’ Design Award, obtained in the “Disposable and Single-Use category Product Design “- and one in Europe, or the Alfoil Trophy 2020, won in the” Innovative use of Aluminium Foil”  category.

Based on the decisions and investments made in recent months, what are the forecasts for the whole of 2020? (compared to the 2019 figure)?

2020 began with a pandemic that no one could have foreseen, but we have been able to rethink products and market targets, fully compatible with a scenario in full transformation, also thanks to our innovations. This allows us to face the second half of the year with confidence.