Environmental information on packaging labels continues to grow
The fourth IdentiPack report from the Conai and Gs1 Italy observatory has been published.
In Italy, information on the type of packaging and correct disposal in separate waste collection is already present on 50% of products on the shelves, while more than 44% of grocery products contain the identification coding of the composition material. According to the fourth report by IdentiPack,[1] the national observatory on environmental labelling, in the last year on the national market, the products that carry environmental information relating to packaging are constantly increasing.
Encouraging data, especially regarding the environmental information mandatory from January 2023. From the analysis of over 136,000 consumer products, indications on the type of packaging and correct disposal in separate waste collection appear for 50% of those on the shelf with an increase by +3.2% compared to the previous year and for 74.4% of those actually sold (+2.6%). “It is proof that companies have responded effectively in adapting to the new legislation”, comments Ignazio Capuano, president of Conai, “the gradual increase in packaging that communicates environmental information on the label represents a great change, it is not just a question of complying with an obligation, but also of having understood how important it is to communicate environmentally also through packaging".[2]
The result of the collaboration between Conai (National Packaging Consortium) [3] and Gs1 Italy[4], one of the Gs1 non-profit organizations that promote the use of the most used standards in the world for communication between companies, the Observatory monitors the presence of environmental information on packaging labels released for consumption in Italy. In this fourth half-yearly report, the situation relating to the packs available on the shelf and then purchased by the consumer is photographed, segmenting them based on the departments they belong to, with the contribution of market data from NielsenIQ[5].
The survey revealed 60,246 products that present packaging with the identification coding of the material, pursuant to Decision 129/97/EC. A quantity that corresponds to 44.1% of the total references on the grocery shelf (which grew by 5.3% in the last year) and 68.5% of the total packages sold (+3.8% compared to the previous year). previous). In addition to the information required by law, the IdentiPack report also shows that as many as 10,399 references (7.6% of the total products on the shelves in large-scale distribution and approximately 11% of the packages sold) contain voluntary environmental brands and information. Among the product sectors analysed, the cold sector confirms its leadership in the communication of mandatory environmental information on packaging, with ice cream and frozen foods standing out due to the incidence of products bearing the identification coding of the material on the label, in addition to indications on the type of packaging. and on the correct disposal in separate waste collection. Meats take second place for the presence of information on the identification coding of the material. Good performance for fresh products that took third place for the communication of information on the identification coding of the material and second in the field of information on the correct transfer of packaging to separate waste collection.
“In the era of sustainability”, underlines Bruno Aceto, CEO of Gs1 Italy, “IdentiPack represents an irreplaceable tool for following how the communication of this topic evolves on the labels of consumer products sold in Italy. Its value and uniqueness are also based on its broad and representative statistical base: that of the Imagine Observatory, made up of over 136 thousand products digitized by the Imagine service of Gs1 Italy Servizi, which detects all the indications and claims present on the label , creating and keeping updated a unique database in Italy to monitor the consumer shopping cart and understand its trends and evolutions".
Antonio Calitri: Le informazioni ambientali sulle etichette degli imballaggi continuano a crescere; in: La Repubblica, 6-12-2023, https://www.repubblica.it/economia/rapporti/osserva-italia/le-storie/2023/12/06/news/le_informazioni_ambientali_sulle_etichette_degli_imballaggi_continuano_a_crescere-421587413/
[1] https://www.conai.org/notizie/pubblicato-il-quarto-rapporto-di-identipack-le-informazioni-ambientali-sulle-etichette-degli-imballaggi-continuano-a-crescere/
[2] Green labels became an officially recognised method for company's to make transparent environmental declarations or claims about their products, packaging, etc., such as materials used (natural, recycled, eco-friendly), the energy consumed during production, the organisation's wider green activities, and so on. https://clustercollaboration.eu/content/green-labelling-and-certification-infrastructure-products-packaging#:~:text=Green%20labels%20became%20an%20officially,green%20activities%2C%20and%20so%20on.
[3] One of the key players in Italy is the Consorzio nazionale Imballaggi (National Packaging Consortium), abbreviated Conai, is a private consortium operating on a non-profit basis. About 1 000 000 companies that produce and use packaging belong to it. It was established on the basis of the Ronchi Decree of 1997. Conai collaborates with the Municipalities on the basis of specific agreements governed by the Anci-Conai National Framework Agreement. https://www.conai.org/
[4] GS1 standards lie at the heart of efficient ‘just in time’ systems. Retailers can track products at every stage of the supply chain, meeting changing consumer demands with minimal wastage and maximum cash flow. https://www.gs1.org/about/what-we-do
[5] The NielsenIQ Partner Network makes it simple to find the right solution for your specific business need. https://nielseniq.com/global/en/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion/
