Coop Italia is one of the largest retail stores in Italy with 100 hypermarkets and over 1,400 supermarkets and convenience outlets.
“For over 10 years, Coop has designed the packaging of its private label products,” Pedroni told FoodProductionDaily.
“By doing this, we try to reduce upstream consumption of materials and energy, and downsize waste production.
Barilla pasta empire
“Coop’s strategy can be summed up in the ‘3R’s’; reduce, reuse, recycle. Currently about 200 products have been packaged and redesigned by Coop, which in turn has led to 6,000 tons of material saved per year.”
Pedroni has been elected chairman of IPACK-IMA, a three-yearly processing and packaging show where he will speak about sustainability. Predecessors include Alberto Bauli, director of Banco Popolare and Paolo Barilla, heir of the Barilla pasta empire.
He also holds titles at other companies including president and CEO at Finsoe, councilor at Unipol Gruppo Finanziario and vice president of Indicod-ECR.
Advanced packaging
“I am honored to accept CEO Corbella’s offer of the presidency of IPACK-IMA 2015, as I believe a strong commitment from the distribution industry in favoring increasingly advanced packaging is crucial in benefiting the environment, consumers and companies,” added Pedroni.
“Traditionally, the tradeshow organizers elect a chairman who is a representative from the end-user industry and in the past we have had well-known personalities from the Italian industry including Alberto Bauli and Paolo Barilla.
“IPACK-IMA is the right stage for a dialogue about manufacturing and packaging and Coop will take part in the jointly held Expo 2015 as its Food Distribution Partner with a project called ‘Supermarket of the future’, designed around economic and environmental sustainability.”
Milan tradeshow
Now in its 52nd year, IPACK-IMA will be held at Fiera Milan from May 19-23, 2015.
One of its features is the Innovation Corners, which includes; Plan the future, an area developed in partnership with the National Packaging Consortium (Conai), to promote sustainable development in packaging. It involves research institutes, associations and universities and features seminars, roundtables and workshops.
Packaging for Vending, a project coordinated by CONFIDA – the Italian Association vending industry focused on packaging for vending machines and two events: the Packaging Oscars awards ceremony, organized by the Italian Packaging Institute and the WorldStar Packaging Awards ceremony, assigned by WPO (World Packaging Organization).