McGarlet, an Italian company that imports and distributes exotic and out-of-season fruit, decided to repackage its products in lighter and more sustainable packaging.
Part of the company's research process focused on identifying and analysing those stages of the packaging process where changes could be made to reduce material. This led to the possibility of marketing the products in bulk, particularly those in the Ready to Eat range, designed to meet the needs of consumers looking for a product that is ripe at the right time and ready to eat.
Davide Garletti, CEO of McGarlet, commented:
There are many improvements we have made to these products. First of all, we have reduced the height of the boxes by eliminating the empty spaces in the boxes, thus reducing the amount of paper used. With the new dimensions, achieved by saving about 1 centimetre of cardboard per box, the fruit inside is still perfectly preserved and contained. At the same time, this means a reduction in the amount of waste generated. Following the same criterion, we have also reduced the size of the stamp, also made of paper, that is applied to the fruit.
There are also important innovations for the first range and packaged products, namely the choice of compostable film, one of the most environmentally friendly materials.
Davide Garletti went on to state:
The film we use is produced by an Italian supply chain and is fully compostable. This means it can be thrown in the wet waste bin. This makes the packaging in question part of a circular economy, which we need more and more. In line with the new legislation, our products in this packaging will now also carry the compostability logo.
Davide Garletti then concluded by stating:
McGarlet's is an ongoing commitment that stems from our corporate values and requires a significant financial investment. We continue to do this because we are confident that it is the right direction to take and one that is shared by our partners and customers. It is also supported by end consumers who, according to studies and data, are aligned and agree with our vision. In fact, we know from the figures available to us that in the last 12 months 65% of Italian households have chosen a product because it had more sustainable packaging and 19% have stopped buying a product because the packaging was not considered sustainable. Knowing that consumers are as concerned as we are about these issues motivates us even more in our daily research and development process. It is not easy to innovate every day, but it is a must.
