We often think that a cardboard container is more sustainable than a plastic one, but the truth is that there are many nuances. At Vicente Peris, cardboard is one of the materials we use the most, since it is in cardboard boxes that we serve our first range products: piel de sapo melons, such as Peris Dolce or Vicentín, watermelons, pumpkins, spring onions, celery... Also our fourth range products,selected, peeled and cut fruit whose individual packaging is made of recycled and recyclable plastic, are served to the points of sale in cardboard boxes.
The origin of that cardboard is something we have been concerned about for many years. The traceability that we demand of ourselves with the fruits and vegetables we produce and market, and which we control with
certifications such as Global GAP
is the same that we like to have with the auxiliary material, such as cardboard boxes. Therefore, when we chose our cardboard suppliers, we made sure that they had an essential certificate, the FSC, which in our case is of mixed category.
FSC certified on our boxes of I and IV range products.
The FSC certification of our cardboard boxes assures us that they are made from a mix of materials from certified forests, recycled materials and/or FSC controlled wood. In this way, we are assured that the wood from which the cardboard is produced does not come from sources that are considered unacceptable, that are the result of illegal logging or that have contributed to deforestation or have damaged ecosystems, biodiversity and the rights of forest dwellers.
For first range products, due to the high weight that these packages must support, it is practically impossible to incorporate a certain proportion of recycled cardboard in the formulations, since these practices considerably reduce the strength of the sheets, and therefore, we would not obtain a correct preservation of the product throughout the supply chain and during its useful life. However, in the fresh-cut line, known under our Frutifresh brand, 50% of the cardboard we use is recycled, in addition to being FSC-certified.
We choose responsible cardboard and, in addition, we recycle
Our responsibility as fruit and vegetable producers is not only in the acquisition of auxiliary material of responsible origin and manufacture, it also reaches the management of the cardboard that we have to dispose of.
When certain products or auxiliary materials are delivered to us, many companies deliver them in cardboard boxes. These boxes are properly managed at the plant, where they are pressed and baled into large bales for transfer to the cardboard recycling center. There they will begin a new useful process, becoming a box, a packaging material, a cardboard tube for toilet paper or kitchen towels, which are the most common uses of recycled cardboard.
This is an excellent example of circular economy, in which Vicente Peris collaborates by contributing our grain of sand.
Cardboard ready for recycling
The importance of waste management in the food industry
Any company, regardless of its sector, generates waste. In our case, since we belong to the agri-food sector, this waste is mainly of three types: organic, plastic and cardboard.
The truth is that each year our activity generates several tons of waste that, if poorly managed, could have a severe impact on the environment. For this reason, at Vicente Peris we have protocolized the management of this waste, with the support of external certifiers who audit the management of all this waste.
A good example is the one we talked about in this post on the origin and destination of the cardboard we receive and generate in the company, but there are more.
Organic waste, feed for livestock
In the case of organic waste, we maintain partnerships with local livestock farms, thanks to which the parts removed from fruits and vegetables in the fresh-cut plant, as well as the product that does not meet quality standards in the pre-prepared convenience food plant, are used to feed livestock.
In addition to delivering them to livestock farms, we also provide the University of Castilla-La Mancha with pumpkin and melon seeds discarded from the pre-prepared convenience food business. From these seeds is extracted its oil, polyunsaturated and antioxidant, which is used to create functional foods
its oil, polyunsaturated and antioxidant, which is used to create functional foods, or in other words, healthier food.
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Plastic, recyclable and recycled
In the case of plastic, we opt for recycled and recyclable plastic for our fresh-cut packaging. In this sense, we maintain lines of research with our suppliers of this material to incorporate any innovation that allows packaging to be increasingly sustainable, without reducing two aspects of great relevance to our business, such as food safety and the proper maintenance of food, at least until its expiration date. In addition, we will soon be introducing a wonderful new development in this area that we look forward to telling you about.
If you have any questions or would like more information about our recycling actions and choice of responsible and sustainable materials, we leave you an open communication channel through the following email address
buzon@vicenteperis.com
We will be happy to answer your questions on a subject that we are passionate about, the circular economy and sustainability in the agri-food company.