Research and development

Although not purely industrial, COREPLA’s Research and Development is conducted in collaboration with industry players, both in terms of technical support to improve the sustainability of plastic packaging and project management to maximise recovery of products sent for recycling.

In recent years, the Consortium has strengthened its R&D Department to promote new projects spanning the entire plastic packaging value chain:

• raw material producers
• plastic packaging producers
• sorting centres
• recyclers
• brand owners
• industry associations
• institutions and public organisations
• universities and research centres

New applications and collaborations are encouraged by the Consortium, which provides support and promotion services throughout the plastic packaging chain, through:

• technical support for companies concerning the sustainability of plastic packaging. The Consortium does not intervene in the decisions of individual companies (e.g. marketing, costs, etc.), but provides information on managing the end-of-life phase of plastic packaging in Italy, through recycling or energy recovery, as well as any issues that a packaging solution might present or resolve;
• national or international initiatives, aimed at promoting and prioritising the recycling of plastic packaging and ensuring that new packaging solutions do not compromise existing collection and recycling systems;
• technical training activities on the sustainability of plastic packaging at schools and universities.

Special attention is paid to promoting prevention and coordination actions for COREPLA’s strategic issues , as steps towards meeting the European Union’s ambitious targets.

Lastly, the Consortium participates in technical round tables and working groups at the Italian and European level, and collaborates with many universities, businesses and research centres in Italy and abroad to develop new initiatives and activities relating to technological innovation applied to products and processes.