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PPWR, Sorma Group: ‘A challenge, but also an opportunity for innovation for the industry'
The Italian group supports fresh produce businesses and retailers with innovative materials and
technologies, combining conformity, performance and efficiency.
The new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which takes effect on 12 August, has the potential to become an opportunity for innovation in the fresh produce sector by striking the right balance between the circular economy, product preservation and production efficiency. This is Sorma Group’s vision of the PPWR’s implementation.
A leading technical partner in post-harvest handling and packaging, Sorma Group is ready to support fresh produce businesses and retailers through the transition to the new rules, with packaging and labelling materials along with technologies capable of meeting legal requirements while also adding value in the market.
"The PPWR represents a challenge, but also a significant opportunity to rethink packaging aimed at optimising processes, reducing waste and standing out in the market," explains Silvia Albanese, Marketing Specialist at Sorma Group. "Our role is to work with our partners to identify practical solutions that promote the circular economy without compromising on productivity, packaging quality, product value and shelf life."
Materials and technologies aligned with the PPWR
For several years now, the group has been investing in solutions aligned with the objectives of the European regulation, in terms of mono-material packaging, packaging weight reduction and sustainable materials.
In the first case, the most recent example of innovation is Sorma Clipless, unveiled at the most recent edition of Fruit Logistica. This net packaging is made from HDPE2 polymer in both its structure and label, and is free of metal clips. Using a single material encourages responsible consumer behaviour, allowing them to dispose of the entire pack in plastic recycling without the need to separate different components. Clipless also combines sustainability with improved performance, speeding up the packaging process and offering greater durability than traditional nets.
The group's Research and Development team is also continuously working on pack engineering to reduce the weight and volume of packaging while maintaining its effectiveness. One example is the work carried out on the Vertbag net, whose weight has been gradually reduced from an initial 70-80 g/m² to the current 40 g/m², while film thickness has decreased from 70 to approximately 45 microns.
Materials research is also central to this effort, through the progressive expansion of cellulose-based materials and recyclable plastics for nets and film, selected to improve sustainability without compromising the performance required during packaging, transport and on-shelf display.
Sorma Group therefore already offers a wide range of solutions developed according to these principles. Research and development work continues into materials and configurations capable of further increasing the sustainability of packaging, while maintaining high standards of performance and reliability.
A challenge that goes beyond technology alone
The challenge for the fresh produce industry is not only to identify the right packaging, but also to comply with the regulation from a production, organisational and administrative standpoint. Sorma Group's expertise allows the company to play a broad and thorough supporting role in these areas too.
One key issue concerns the cost of adapting production lines to packaging that meets the requirements of the new regulation. With its innovations, Sorma focuses on ensuring new packaging is compatible with machinery already in place, an approach that allows partners to manage innovation investment efficiently. Backward compatibility is indeed a central design objective, as it enables a transition that is gradual and economically sustainable, making the most of investments already made and limiting the environmental impact associated with replacing production lines.
The administrative burden will also weigh significantly on companies' operations, as they will need to produce new technical documentation and declarations of conformity. As a comprehensive technical partner – offering a service across machinery, packaging and labelling – Sorma represents a one-stop shop for collating this material, simplifying the work of fresh produce businesses. In an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, in-depth knowledge of the entire packaging process makes it possible to speed up compliance with the new rules, reduce the risk of errors, and approach the requirements set by legislation and the market with greater confidence.
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