A look… at the fabulous world of packaging

Editorial by Stefano Lavorini

I’ve been thinking back at the recent Giflex Congress and the challenge launched by its president Alberto Palaveri (¹) and I’ve been reminded of the old French Film of 2001: Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, in which the protagonist, with great imagination and without forgoing true authentic emotions, dedicates her time to trying to correct the negative aspects of those around her; it’s only after innumerable adventures that she understands that the most important thing in life is, however, looking after also oneself.

The lovely story told in the film recalls that of the Italian Group Produttori Imballaggio Flessibile (Flexible Packaging Producers) which, in the last few years has done its utmost to make clear to all stakeholders the efforts made to offer ever-lighter packaging to the market, using increasingly fewer resources which are easy to recycle without, however, forgetting to affirm the identity of a sector that has shown that it knows how to ask itself questions and reflect on how to improve.

And so, just as Amélie seems to be able to transform the reality surrounding her with the mere power of her gaze, so the over 230 representatives of the flexible packaging industry that took part in the event in Rome on 17 and 18 May, appeared convinced by Giflex’s choice to take forward, tout court, the fight against climate change.

This is the amazing world of packaging in which a sector, that incorporates materials and machines, is concretely committed, with courage and inventiveness, to be recognized by politicians and consumers.

Unfortunately, the situation is quite complex, as the speakers who intervened for the occasion correctly made clear. There are still many often-contrasting choices to be made between apparently desirable options: environmental policy and/or political policy, the implications of artificial intelligence in production processes and the expectations of young people in the world of work, chemical recycling and the investment plans of sector companies.

One separate area, moreover, concerns the advocacy actions undertaken by Giflex, both in Italy and in Brussels, to defend the interests of the supply chain which has led to the drawing up of a position paper on the Proposal Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR) European Regulation which highlights the problems areas encountered by producers and relative modification proposals.

Various problem areas were, in fact, raised, including the need to clearly define the fundamental concepts of “recycling” and “recycled”, the importance of sorted collection as occurs in Italy at international level, the development of chemical recycling, the inclusion of product life-cycle analysis (LCA) as a scientific method to evaluate the sustainability of packaging, the need for reuse and refill in the food sector to safeguard safety, hygiene and the protection of consumers.

Giflex requests, ultimately, a policy that establishes clear objectives, allowing the industry to propose solutions so as not to "freeze" innovation, as well as European provisions that do not disrupt the daily habits of consumers.

These are all positions that I personally agree with: it’s only a shame that at the moment “When a wise man points at the moon the imbecile examines the finger”.
C'est la vie!

(1) Alberto Palaveri (Sacchital) has been confirmed for a second mandate as president of Giflex (2023-2026). The announcement was made at the end of Produttori Imballaggio Flessibile’s national assembly held in Roma on 17 May.