PAPER WASTE FALSE FRIENDS

 

Today, the urban separate collection of paper and cardboard stands at about 2 million 900 thousand tons. However, some products deceive citizens: the so-called false friends of paper.

PAPER WAST: MIND THE FALSE FRIENDS

The false friends of paper that most confuse citizens when it is time to sort waste are receipts and takeaway pizza boxes. 

The receipt does not go in the separate collection of paper and cardboard because the material of which it is made bothers the recycling processes. The most common receipts, in fact, are made with a thermal paper whose components react to heat, generating problems in the recycling phases. 

Pizza boxes, on the other hand, could be thrown in the paper but only if they are neither dirty nor greasy. To be sorted into the paper they must be perfectly clean, and this happens in rare cases. So, even if they are just a little dirty, pizza boxes should not be thrown in the paper!

There are other materials, such as adhesive tapes, staples, and other non-cellulosic materials (e.g. the cellophane bag that wraps magazines) that should not be separated with paper at all. Even handkerchiefs should not be sorted with paper: they are very difficult to recycle.

Another false friend of paper is greaseproof paper. Greaseproof paper used for wrapping cold cuts, cheese, and buns is not recyclable. Nor is paper that has been soiled by poisonous substances, such as paper soiled by paints and solvents, recyclable. This paper, in fact, contaminates recycled paper.

TIPS: 

In addition to false friends, there are also procedures to be followed: boxes must be flattened and compressed to reduce large packages into small pieces. Also, paper and cardboard should not be abandoned outside the containers. Two other rules to keep in mind are: do not throw the paper together with the plastic bag used to transport it to the container. Finally, do not put packaging with food or soil residues in the separate collection because they generate bad odors, hygiene, and health problems and contaminate recyclable paper. 

Here are the false friends of paper! Now that you have learned them you can make a better recycling collection, being careful about what is recyclable and what is not.

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RECYCLED PAPER JEWELLERY

 

Nowadays, the topic of recycling is increasingly present in all sectors. The world of fashion is also becoming more and more involved in green and sustainability issues. But it's not just about clothes anymore. Many different brands offer jewellery made from recycled paper.

SUSTAINABLE JEWELLERY: REUSE AND RECYCLE

Jewellery made from recycled paper is a new trend at the moment: it is both beautiful and environmentally friendly. We are talking about bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces, but not only. Recycled paper beads can be used to create beautiful bracelets and fashionable necklaces. These jewellery pieces are not only easy to buy but can also be made at home, saving all those newspapers and magazines that would otherwise be thrown away. Let's see how to make them.

DIY

Making paper jewellery, as well as being a fun way to pass the time, can also be a way to recycle newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, and other pieces of coloured paper, without having to waste them unnecessarily. The easiest way to make jewellery is to start by making paper beads. 

There are several techniques for making paper crafts, such as the quilling technique, also known as paper filigree, which is used to make more refined and elegant paper jewellery. It consists of rolling up strips of coloured paper to make any kind of jewellery. An original and delicate way to create beautiful jewellery.

Another original way to make jewellery is to use the origami technique. You can make not only jewellery (with stiffer paper), but also geometric figures to decorate small corners of your home.

To make any kind of jewellery with paper, simply cut the paper into small squares and glue and roll them around a toothpick to create a hole in the bead. Once the small squares are dry, pull the beads off the toothpick and thread or thread a strong ribbon through them to create a necklace or bracelet.

You can now colour the beads with colours, glitter, and other decorations to make your jewellery unique. 

What are you waiting for? Recycling paper can be fun, and what better way than creating unique jewellery out of recycled paper?

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THE NEW SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER

 THE NEW SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER

Nowadays we are facing a series of problems to which we have to find urgent solutions. From plastic pollution in the ocean, global warming, to the climate crisis and deforestation; the theme of sustainability has become a trend that companies can no longer ignore.

Consumers are paying more and more attention to the issue of sustainability, and that reflects their purchasing decisions. Create and sell a good product is not enough anymore. The product also must be sustainable, and the company itself has to follow ethical rules and everything has to reflect consumer’s needs, increasingly attentive and inclined to a green lifestyle, to support the planet. 

Especially after the pandemic of COVID-19, which in one side has increased these environmental issues, many consumers have declared themselves ready to change their purchasing habits and their commitment to sustainable purchasing. 

A study by “Capgeminiresearch institute”, analyzes the impact of sustainability on consumers' purchasing decisions and their expectations from companies. This research shows that 79% of consumers are willing to change their purchasing preferences towards products and companies that follow certain criteria such as social responsibility, inclusion, and environmental business impact. The pandemic has also increased consumer awareness and commitment to more sustainable purchases: 67% of consumers said they would pay more attention to natural resource lack, while 65% said that in the future "new normal" they would be more mindful of the impact of their consumption.

More than half of the population is changing their buying habits, especially if we speak about young consumers: 57% of people aged 18-24 have started buying products from lesser-known but more sustainable brands. The 52% of respondents to the research said they have an emotional connection with products or companies they consider sustainable, while 64% said buying sustainable products makes them feel better, a percentage that increases to 72% for those between 25 and 35 years old.  

BOTTA Packaging keeps herself up with the times. Understanding the consumers’ needs and the current challenges, BOTTA Packaging offers to its clients sustainable packaging innovations that are in line with the values searched by the consumers, to protect the environment. 

👉 Click here to discover more about eco-products. 

 

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“PLASTISFERA”: A NEW THREAT IN THE OCEAN

Pelagos Sanctuary in Italy is in danger

The maritime area between Tuscany, Liguria, Corsica, and the French Riviera is known, among environmentalists, as “Pelagos Sanctuary”. This area has been piling up a shocking amount of plastic, which has created what is now called the “plastisphere”, a new sea ecosystem born around a mass of plastic waste. It covers about 80% of the area from the surface to the seafloor. It is composed of organisms that can be dangerous to fishes, birds, and mammals and it is threatening cetaceans.  

These organisms are dangerous its selves, but they can also develop bacteria, algae, and viruses potentially harmful for the marine inhabitants.  

What is PelagosFree?

PelagosFree is a project financed by various regions of Italy, the Principality of Monaco and France, and their participation with Legambiente and Expedition Med. It is a project born to study this “Plastisfera”, collecting information about its microbial communities, its consequences, and the potential damage to the ocean, the environment, and all the animal species. In this zone microplastic and textile fibers in very high percentages have been found in fishes; in shrimp and mussels, the presence of ingested plastic has reached 75%. 

So, it was necessary to start planning a scenario to find solutions. First of all, an awareness campaign was born to educate people about this very real problem. The campaign started from schools to raise awareness among young people; and from sea operators, such as fishing communities, because as they produce a large amount of waste due to their work that usually ends up in sea. Moreover, associations have been built up to free the Pelagos Sanctuary, starting from regional administrations to improve their management of urban waste. 

 
Plastic pollution facts

We have known for years that plastic is polluting our planet, especially seas and oceans; and we also know that in as many years the marine ecosystem will be full of plastic more than fishes if we do not act to find a solution now. 

This is only one of the many examples of plastic pollution consequences, and what mono-plastic causes not only to our environment but also to us. So, we need to find an urgent solution, that starts from the commitment and responsibility of everybody towards a more sustainable world. 

 

BOTTA Packaging is committed in offering environmentally friendly solutions, alternatives to plastic packaging, 👉click here

 

 

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SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Fashion: it's time to change the trend!

There has been increasing talk lately about sustainable fashion. Consumers are becoming more and more aware and demanding and are no longer satisfied with clothes that are just nice to wear. In fact, they also want to know how the clothes they wear were produced and make sure that the time and place of production do not contribute to the deterioration of the planet's environment and the working conditions of the people involved in production.  Let's find out what sustainable fashion is.

What is sustainable fashion? 

Sustainable fashion is fashion that respects the environment and society at all stages: from conception through production to distribution and sale.

This fashion proposal seeks to work with less polluting raw materials, reduce waste in products such as water and electricity costs and produce durable parts, stimulating conscious consumption. Furthermore, this model proposes a more humane production, without exploitation of workers and with fairer remuneration.

In this context, Industry 4.0 can bring numerous advantages to the fashion sector, thanks to new technologies and new production processes, less polluting and more durable materials can be created. Production processes can be more efficient, reducing the use of raw materials, thus reducing not only costs but also the environmental impact.

The advantages: 

The first advantage is the less environmental impact. The environment is the basis for the well-being of the world's population. If our planet overheats, if its air becomes increasingly polluted and its water contaminated, the lives of many people are compromised. In some areas of the planet, where the production of clothing is not regulated by specific environmental protection standards or where these standards are more easily broken, the health of many people has already been compromised.

The second benefit is the improvement of the conditions of the workers involved in the life cycle of a fashion product. In particular, production very often takes place in countries where minimum wages or acceptable working conditions are not guaranteed, and exploitation and abuses of various kinds occur.

Thirdly, the development of sustainable fashion can drive and contribute to the emergence of new technologies and processes, strengthening a growing sector and generating new opportunities for social and economic growth.

What can fashion brands do to become sustainable?

Sustainable fashion is therefore the future: not only to have a lower environmental impact and to safeguard the planet but also to protect workers and contribute to the creation of new technologies. 

Is it possible to consider a fashion brand sustainable even if it uses non-sustainable packaging? No! So click here to discover how to be a sustainable fashion brand starting from the packaging!

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CIRCULAR ECONOMY: A NEW VISION

Circular economy refers to a type of economy designed to be able to regenerate itself. This economy is in contrast to the linear economy, and its "take, make, dispose" model. Circular economy is based on the principle that the waste of a company becomes a resource for someone else, with sustainability as the main focus. 

Linear V. Circular economy

In a linear economy system, this does not happen: once consumption ends, so does the life cycle of the product, which becomes waste and must therefore be managed, consuming additional resources for disposal. 

Circular economy is an economic system designed to be self-regenerating, in which materials of biological origin are intended to be reintegrated into the biosphere, and technical materials must be designed to be revalued without entering the biosphere. Circular economy promotes a better use of resources based on the use of products rather than consumption and is characterized by the extension of the life cycle of products that leads to a valorization of waste.

What can a company do?

With this in mind, BOTTA Packaging is committed to the struggle towards a circular economy because cardboard is circular by nature: made from renewable sources, recyclable and biodegradable. We try not only to create recyclable products but also to raise awareness on reuse and recover properly after use. By doing so, a mechanism whereby you increase recycled content and post-consumer waste is created. Reducing the need for raw materials, emissions, and pollution are important for us. 

This virtuous circle created thanks to a circular economy has been completely absorbed by BOTTA Packaging, which is committed to improving on a daily basis in order to offer consumers products that are increasingly in line with this new vision. BOTTA Packaging is committed in paying greater attention to sustainability at all stages and widespread its vision.

Recycle is the key!

Among the company's products, Corrugated Cardboard represents the emblem of circular economy. It is 100% recyclable, biodegradable, and produced from renewable sources.  Corrugated cardboard lends itself to being recycled and reused in different ways. Recycled fibers make up 88% of the raw material with which new packaging is made. 

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CRADLE TO CRADLE

 

What is cradle to cradle?

The Cradle to Cradle model refers to the idea of the circular economy, which involves a way of producing and consuming that is based on principles of sustainability. The circular economy requires products to be as durable and efficient as possible. As a result, the goal is to drastically reduce the production of waste. Even products that have lost their original function and would appear to be no longer usable are actually made of materials that can be reused.

From this perspective, we move from a linear model that ends in the dustbin, with products from cradle to grave, to a circular system, which presents goods from cradle to cradle. Compared to the linear model, the Cradle to Cradle model, after the phases of choice of raw materials, design, production, distribution, and consumption, provides two more steps: collection and recycling, which are missing in the cradle to grave model.

A new approach!

More specifically, the Cradle to Cradle model, also defined as "regenerative design" is an innovative and sustainable approach to product creation. Cradle to cradle models, therefore, aim to create a sustainable system that is respectful of life and future generations, as the name suggests, from the birth, or "cradle" of one generation to the next.

What can we do?

The concept of Cradle to Cradle, suggests that it is possible to return to a model of the design of some materials providing for their reintegration into nature once their use is over. This new model also proposes that it is possible to transform the sale of some products into a donation of services, a sort of ecological leasing able on the one hand to use better materials (because more reasoned and durable) and on the other to minimize costs.

BOTTA Packaging is very sensitive to the theme of Circular Economy and the Cradle to Cradle model. For this reason, the products are all aimed at recycling, to give paper and cardboard a new life, and to continue the path not towards the grave but new reuse.

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