Sandrine Prioul (correspondent in Vendée) / Photo credit: Mecapack 14:53 pm, September 15, 2023
Some manufacturers are taking the lead to get out of the addiction to plastic. This is the case of the packaging manufacturer Mecapack, in Vendée, which offers trays mainly composed of cardboard. But this gradual abandonment of plastic comes at a cost.Succeed in offering less polluting packaging. This is the objective set by the packaging manufacturer Mecapack, in Vendée, while plastic is still very present in this sector. "At every appointment, we have this subject on the table. It's predominant in decision-making," says Félix Olivier, from the sales and marketing department.
"We are moving towards eco-responsibility"
The initiative is aimed at industrialists and supermarkets with their backs to the wall. "On this type of tray, we are on 80% cardboard and 20% plastic. So we are moving towards eco-responsibility," says Félix Olivier. Limiting plastic, therefore, and opting for cardboard, glass, even porcelain, or even betting on the good old stainless steel bowl is very delicate against a background of sacrosanct food safety.
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The equation is complex, confirms Benoît Méfort, Director of Innovation at Mecapack. "We have a lot of ideas about eco-responsible packaging. We are working on all these solutions to succeed in industrializing them. But then there are economic brakes. All these solutions are more expensive, because plastic has been used for years and has been economically optimized. But Mecapack has no choice, the planet has no choice, so it's a collective effort." At Mecapack, this transformation has made it possible, in the space of five years, to go from all plastic to 50% eco-packaging.