Italian strapping with a high rate of circularity. The tapes used to bind goods during transport «are considered a particular type of packaging, which can be made of steel or plastic polymers. In Italy alone, a quantity equal to 60% of all EU manufacturing is produced», explains Stefano Sassone, technical director of Confindustria Cisambiente. A record that is also accompanied by a virtuous characteristic: «The percentage of recycled used in new factories remains significantly high: for example, in 2019, out of a polypropylene strapping released for consumption, as much as 21% was the result of the recovery of the material of the plastic used to make them», adds Sassone. But the numbers are even higher.
The recycling industry
Messersì Packaging in Barbara (Ancona) has been producing 100% recycled strapping since 2002, using post-consumer PET from bottles and separate waste collection. «Thanks to the activity of its internal research center, it has begun to use material recovered from the oceans, establishing collaborations with cooperatives and non-profit organizations specialized in the recovery of plastic dispersed in the environment and has tried to make the customer aware of the correct recycling of the product. With this in mind, Messersì Packaging has begun to supply its customers with a device that allows them to recover the material of their packaging and, thanks to recyclers, return it to production again. We have collected 10 tons: it’s a start». To speak is Massimiliano Ubertini, manager of the company’s plant which in 2022 saw a leap in turnover from 50 to 70 million: «In the last year we have invested 5 million to strengthen production, organization and storage. We believe that the product made with recycled material will be the most popular, replacing a large part of the iron and polypropylene strapping. Today we recover 40 million bottles a month: we will soon reach 60. If a bottle weighs 30 grams it means that we produce 1,200 tons of polyester strapping a month. Of these, 50% go abroad. Europe is the most important market, followed by South America, America, Arabia, South Africa», explains Ubertini, who adds: «Personalisation is a growing trend. And we are strong in printed palaces. Which, for example, Germany – with which we compete in terms of volumes – does not do».
Laura Pauletto, sales manager of Itistrap in Villaverla (Vicenza), confirms the growth of the sector: «We currently have three production lines and the fourth is arriving. We produce 7,000 tons of polyester strapping a year, 90% of which we export: 30% to Europe (especially France), 50% to North America, the rest to Australia, the Middle East and Africa, a market we would like to develop more more because there are good opportunities. From 2020 onwards we recorded a 40% growth in both 2021 and 2022, closing with a turnover of 16 million». The vocation for recycling has also been confirmed: «The material from which we start is 100% recycled polyester. Precisely for this reason, together with other producers, we are asking Conai, the national packaging consortium, to move us to the lower end as regards the payment of the environmental contribution», concludes Pauletto.