The company Ilip, a member of the ILPA Group, has 3 lines of sustainability-based innovation. One is Ezy Split, the first hybrid baskets by Ilip, manufactured with light rPET (saving up to 45% of material compared to a standard basket) and cardboard that is FSC-certified. The container can be heat-sealed with a film which, in turn, can be screen printed, and information may be printed on all the sides of the cardboard, giving an extensive space for communication and branding. In addition, this format can incorporate an optional handle. The bringing together of both materials (rPET and cardboard) allows greater resistance and greater interaction of the client with the product. All of this makes recycling easier, because the cardboard part is removed with a single movement.
The second work line is the Life+ system, the first product of which is the active container. Particularly indicated for delicate products (red berries, cherries, cherry tomatoes or grapes), this packaging includes natural additives in its composition, which lengthen the shelf life of the produce and reduces food wastage.
The third line from Ilip includes the rPET baskets, which are already on sale. In this case, a vertical integration is carried out (within the group itself) as they reuse materials turning them into new products. The B-40 range has been put under close scientific scrutiny with a certified study (EPD – Environmental product declaration), which verifies the sustainability of the products. As a result of this research, Ilip has moved from 18 g baskets to 16 g ones, improving the CO2 footprint by 36%.
Ilip has been reducing the weight of its products since 2009. Over these 13 years, the company has managed to lighten the weight on average by 10% without compromising the shelf life of the contents and the presentation of the container. At the same time, it has adapted the moulds to its containers thanks to eco-design.
All its efforts are carried out from an environmental sustainability point of view. Since they integrated T2T (tray to tray) recycling of bottles and baskets/trays, they carry out the complete cycle in the business group with differentiated recycling. “The recycling capacity of the ILPA Group reaches 60,000 t/ year in PET food packaging, which is the equivalent to the consumption of water bottles by 2 million inhabitants. We are helping the Italian and European recycling goals to be reached. We are among the top plastic recyclers in Europe.”
