ENVIRONMENTAL LABELLING: THE DUNA GROUP ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD

From 1st January 2023, the new Regulations on Environmental Labelling of packaging came into force in Italy (Dir. 2018/851 and 2018/852 implemented by Legislative Decree 116/2020): the DUNA Group anticipates the legislation by providing clear indications on the composition and disposal methods of all the packaging used for DUNA-Corradini and DUNAPACK®’s supplies


The DUNA Group confirms its commitment to the full sustainability of its products and processes by anticipating the entry into force of the new legislation on environmental labelling of industrial packaging. Through the progressive transposition of EU Directives 2018/851 and 2018/852 on waste and packaging management, in most of the European countries is now in force the obligation for manufacturers, local distributors and other responsible parties to label primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.

Implemented in Italy by Legislative Decree 116/2020, the new European legislation officially entered into force starting from 1 January 2023. As better detailed by the Decree 2022/360 of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety and the CONAI Guidelines, each responsible party located on the Italian territory is now required to indicate, for each packaging supplied, the composition materials and the correct methods of separate collection disposal.

But the DUNA Group is used to being ahead of the game, especially in terms of innovation and sustainability! For this reason, in early 2022 DUNAPACK® the division specialized in the production and supply of on-demand packaging in foam, air and paper, has undertook to update the flexography of all the films of the Air In Place and the Foam In Place ranges to provide customers and end consumers with packaging solutions (i.e. air cushions and polyurethane foams packaging) with clear instructions on proper end-of-life disposal, printed on the packaging itself. The umpteenth confirmation of the DUNAPACK® path towards the full sustainability of products, started in 2018 with the launch of the TEO film, the new air cushion of the Air in Place line made of compostable, biodegradable and TÜV OK Compost certified PLA, and continued in 2022 with the introduction of the RIO regenerated cushion, composed of 70% recycled plastic. What’s more, in DUNAPACK® the product innovations are accompanied by the constant process optimizations, such as the transition to the supply in ready to inflate reams for the Air in Place line and the inauguration of the new MiniStorage system for the Foam in Place range, which replaces the traditional foam drums with new IBC tanks with greater capacity, easily recoverable thanks to the IBC drum and tank washing plant located at the Soliera Headquarters.

The commitment to environmental labelling was then reconfirmed with the provision of information sheets for each product line of DUNA-Corradini and DUNAPACK®, which states all types of packaging in use, their composition material (codified according to Decision 97/129 / EC) and their correct end of life management. To fulfill the obligation of environmental labeling, the Decree 2022/360 of the italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety and the CONAI Guidelines recognize the possibility of using also digital channels in place or integration of the information reported directly on the packaging by label or screen printing. Freely available on the new dedicated website sections, the DUNA summary sheets aim to support customers and end consumers, providing clear indications on the correct disposal of the different types of packaging used for our supplies. In any case, it remains the responsibility of commercial partners and end users to periodically verify the provisions on waste disposal issued by the local authorities in charge or in force on their territory.

"To support customers and end consumers in the packaging waste disposal, we have actively committed ourselves to providing correct, clear and comprehensive information on the different types of packaging materials used to supply our products" declares Andrea Corradini, Safety & Environment Manager of DUNA Group. "We were one of the first companies in the chemical sector to conform to the new regulations on environmental labelling, already at the beginning of 2022, as we are convinced that tomorrow's environmental safety starts from today's choices and behaviors".