PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The fact of developping a recyclable tray meant to be used in the domestic economy is a very innovative concept. As no previous experiences have been made with such a packaging like the NEW PACKAGING tray, the company presenting this project counts on a team joined by professional technicians, economists and finance experts with great experience in the plastics and packaging sector. As hypothese the existence of a selective household waste collection system, such as Eco-packaging, will be accepted. A second start hypothese will be to count on the distribution chains at european level in order to organize a particular collection system means of immplementing an incentive to domestic economies, that would promote their involvement in the recovery system. The project will have the following phases: 1. Management and documentation phase:Start off 2. Prototypes trials. Industrialization Recycling trials and recovery agreements with commercial chains. Introduction in pilot area in order to expand the idea later at EU level. 3. Results optimisation and publicity: at least two presentations in international packaging conferences/tradefairs. The recovery logistic will consist in subscribing agreements with commercial distribution chains as well as with recycling companies. As per these agreements, used material will collected separately, pressed and returned to production plants by being transported on return-lorries. Expected results are the development of an ecological alternative to expanded polystyrene, a material that has been used for the production of one-use foodstuff trays. Considering the negative influence of polystyrene in the environment, this project will prove that the NEW PACKAGING tray is economically (selling price will be probably 15-20% lower than that of PS) and environmentally (reusable, recoverable and recyclable) profitable. The idea of the NEW PACKAGING project appears as a packaging model for the conditioning of foodstuff products, an alternative to the traditional expanded polystyrene tray, is developped. Regarding energy, waste and recycling emission, the environmental balance of expanded polystyrene is obviously negative. As per sectorial previsions, the consumption of polystyrene will keep on increasing in an exponential manner and if we take into consideration the almost 500.000 average tones of polystyrene packaging waste that are produced yearly in the EU, have we ever tried to imagine what will its volume be in a near future? The advantages of the product are the following: · is returnable, recoverable and recyclable · is very easy to identify · is light, hygienic and waterproof · is developped on minerals and natural fibres · involves the distribution chains in the task of collecting waste as they are offered an ecologique-economic incentive when returning the NEW PACKAGING trays · helps financing the household waste recovery and collection by cooperating with eco-packaging · promotes the reduction of solid waste. The main objective of this project is to demonstrate that it is possible to close the production and treatment cycle of a 100% recyclable tray, thought to be used by domestic economics, within the EU. Certainly it consists in running systematically a tray production system according to the philosophy of avoiding one-way packaging and it develops reuse and recovery. The project will be developped within 24 months. Expected environmental results are the development of an ecological alternative to expanded polystyrene, according to a closed loop approach. The New Packaging Tray will afford reducing the consumption of resources and/or energy and will encourage an environmental friendly recycling performance of a domestic & frequently used packaging.