Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa has announced that it has opened a new recycling plant in the Tuscany region of Italy.
The new facility, Smurfit Kappa Marlia, will process around 15,000 tonnes of recovered paper annually, strengthening the company's recycling activities in the region.
The plant is strategically located in the district where 60% of Italian containerboard and 90% of tissue paper is produced, the company said.
'Closed-Loop Approach'
General manager of the plant, Luca Mannori, commented, "We are delighted to have this new plant up and running, which is further evidence of our ongoing commitment to sustainable development and an important addition to the region.
"Paper-based packaging is 100% recyclable. All corrugated, solid board and folding carton can be put through a process to make it into another box in less than 14 days, demonstrating a truly closed-loop approach," Mannori added.
The new facility will work closely with the local council, supermarkets, and businesses for collecting used paper and board.
It will be transported to the Smurfit Kappa Ania Paper Mill in Lucca to be used as raw material to produce new containerboard.
'Sustainable Packaging Concepts'
The vice-president of Smurfit Kappa recovered paper, Henri Vermeulen, said, "As part of our Better Planet Packaging initiative, we are using our long-term experience in recycling to develop even more sustainable packaging concepts.
"The new Marlia plant will play a significant part in ensuring the permanent availability of enough good quality recovered paper to [meet] the demands of all our customers in the chain," Vermeulen explained.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
