Barilla reports that 99.8% of the packaging it sells is designed to be recyclable, while 71% of the materials used in its packaging are fibre-based – and it has removed the plastic window from its pasta boxes to avoid ‘unnecessary’ plastics.
Since it comes in direct contact with pasta, Barilla’s Blue Box is made with virgin fibres. This is set to ensure that the packaging is safe and high-quality while remaining recyclable in the paper stream. Low-odour inks are also used to improve the recycling process.
Apparently, the cardboard it uses is sourced from responsibly managed forests under the ‘most widespread’ international schemes (excluding a portion of the cardboard it commercializes in Russia). This is set to ensure the social, environmental and economic sustainability of its procurement.
Barilla has also sought to eliminate around 126,000 kg of plastic from its annual operations by removing the plastic window from its pasta boxes. While this component was not thought to compromise the pack’s recyclability – Barilla emphasizes that ‘modern recycling systems can differentiate’ – it believes that the new design avoids placing unnecessary plastic on the market.
Overall, the company claims that 99.8% of its packaging is designed to be recyclable, and that 71% of its packaging is made from cardboard or paper. Over 50% of the materials it uses in its packaging are also said to be recycled.
These changes are set to align with Barilla’s Sustainable Packaging Principles, first introduced in 1997 and updated over time. One of its goals is to redesign its packaging and eliminate around 4,000 tons of material from the market by 2030.
Barilla also aims to increase its used of recycled materials, decrease it use of fossil-based resources, tackle packaging-related waste and emissions, and avoid food waste.
Additionally, the company aspires to reduce water consumption in its production processes. It plans to promote recovery, recycling, and reuse practices across its supply chain, including at its own plants – adopting an Environmental Management System in line with the UNI EN ISO 14001 standard. It will also continue conducting Life Cycle Assessments of its products, paying attention to the Water Scarcity Index to measure water consumption in relation to regional availability.
All the way back in 2022, Mondi and Fiorini International helped Antico Pastificio Umbro transition into its own paper bag for pasta products. The whole pack was designed for recyclability in existing paper streams, including its transparent cellulose window.
Since then, Tesco has introduced home-recyclable paper packaging for its luxury dried pasta range. The retailer hopes to avoid over 10 million pieces of plastic a year.
Koehler Paper has also joined forces with Astrabio to introduce flexible paper packaging for its pasta products. This is hoped to achieve a reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional plastic packaging while improving recyclability.
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