Eesti
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Italiano
Polski“INNAMORÁTI DEL PIANETA” BY PASTA GAROFALO (FALL IN LOVE WITH THE PLANET)
Garofalo is an Italian factory producing pasta based in the South of Italy. Garofalo was established in 1789 in Gragnano, the homeland of pasta, where the climatic conditions of the area are perfect for drying pasta. The Garofalo factory combines a drive for innovation with an unstoppable search for quality, and Garofalo has thus become a leader in the market for superior-quality pasta among consumers. Garofalo dedicates special attention to people’s quality of life and the quality of the environment.
March 2023 - ongoing
Gragnano (Italy)
Description of the Green Initiative
Pasta consumers.
Garofalo’s main objective is to innovate through sustainability. They have redesigned their packaging to contain pasta, which are now composed by 30% of recycled plastics obtained from the chemical recycling of plastic waste. Furthermore, Garofalo aims to further increase the percentage of recycled plastics in their packaging in order to be even more sustainable.
Garofalo has joined LifeGate’s Zero Impact project to offset CO2 emissions related to the production of product packaging.
The three main goals on which the initiative is based on are:
- Calculate: Garofalo and LifeGate have calculated the CO2 emissions resulting from the production of the packaging of Garofalo brand products destined for the Italian market in one year. 1 KG of PP packaging produces 4.2 kg of CO2.
- Reduce: Garofalo has been committed to reducing emissions for years and they are investing in innovative and alternative solutions, such as chemically recycled plastic used for new pasta packaging.
- Compensate: Garofalo offsets CO2 emissions by purchasing carbon credits that result in actions to protect the Rimba Raya nature reserve in Indonesia and foster local community development.
Garofalo pursues the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: goal 7 (clean and affordable energy), goal 12 (responsible consumption and production), and goal 15 (life on earth).
The innovation has been initially planned for 5 formats of pasta (spaghetti, penne ziti rigate, fusilli, farfalle, elicoidali), although Garofalo plans to extend it to other products in the line and to increase the percentage of recycled plastic material each year more. The new pasta packaging can be easily recognizable: the transparency of the packaging leaves room for the pasta to show itself in all its natural imperfections. A narrative label plays a starring role since it clearly and immediately states the pillars behind the project and the amount of recycled plastic being used.
Garofalo’s sustainable choice is not limited to plastic packaging only, but they also use secondary packaging recycled cardboard obtained from the pulping of companies and citizens’ waste collection in Campania. Since 2021, they have saved 301 tons of CO2 and 507.086 metric cubic of water.
Plastic reduction, recycling, chemical recycling of plastic waste, raising awareness of sustainability and environment. Garofalo’s sustainable project is related to the benefits such as the reduction of the use of fossil resources and the reuse of materials already in circulation.
Garofalo represents a uniqueness in this sustainable choice. In fact, the company is the first in the pasta industry to use recycled plastic obtained from chemical recycling, a cutting-edge approach. The chemical recycling is a process that allows for the recovery and enhancement of materials already in circulation, avoiding the need for new fossil sources. Using various technologies, chemical recycling "breaks down" the molecules that make up the polymers that compose the different types of plastic used for packaging, converting them into raw material that can be used to produce plastic again, which is equivalent to a virgin material. Thus, new polymers can be produced, it is possible to obtain pyrolysis oil from the chemical recycling process and the process can be repeated countless times. This process is completely different from the mechanical process used so far, and it opens up unprecedented recycling possibilities for kinds of waste that are difficult to recycle, such as plastics from household collection.
Garofalo aims at teaching consumers how to correctly recycle plastics, in particular their pasta packaging. For this reason, they encourage consumers to recycle the pasta packs they buy since these are made of 100% recyclable plastic. In addition to that, the “Conscious cooking” campaign aims at providing consumers with valuable tips and best practices on how to implement sustainability within their daily lives.
Animated video to promote the initiative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRpxJadMPDo&t=2s.