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 Usa e Riusa - Use and ... reuse. The
"processing centre" in the logistics of
packaging of fresh fruit and vegetable
products.
LIFE99 ENV/IT/000034
Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e Contact details:
Project Manager: Marco SALVI
Tel: 39 0532 904 511
Fax: 39 0532 904 520
Email: [email protected]
Project description:
Background
The Italian and European fresh fruit and vegetable market is currently marked by
a chaotic situation, as far as fruit and vegetable packaging is concerned. This is
because they are made of different materials with a great many different outside
and inside dimensions and are mostly run under the so-called “throwaway”
system. In Italy approximately 1,5 million tons/year of box wastes are produced
and approximately 7 million tons/year in Europe. The “CPR System” Consortium
is capable of overturning the entire precarious current situation through: - the
diffusion of special boxes (CPR), which can be folded , reused for about 30 return
journeys and are recyclable. - the setting up of “Processing Centres” for the
reuse, sanitation and recycling of raw material. Using the proposed management
method, all the movement of packaging throughout the entire work cycle will be
followed-up, thus creating an accurate census of the number, type and location
of all boxes. As a result,it will be possible to enact environmental standards, both
legal and economic, to modify the trend in the field, particularly in terms of
environmental impact. In view of the performance offered by the CPR boxes as
well as the functionality and efficiency of the “Processing Centres”, it is
reasonable to consider that the current Italian fruit and vegetable boxes can be
met with approximately 60 million CPR boxes. The “CPR System” Consortium
intended to prevent, reduce or eliminate box waste by around 30% in three years
, in line with the European Community Directive 94/62, economising the logistics
management in the fruit and vegetable sector thereby reducing the consumer
prices for fruits and vegetables by 10%. Objectives
To create a pilot project to gain the know-how required to rapidly spread the
“Processing Centres” throughout Italy and Europe. The Consortium would use
outside partners specialised in: a) creation of computer systems and networks b)
logistics c) communications, Europe-wide promotion and creation of specialised
didactic materials. CPR Consortium would set up a work group of at least 6
operators working in the sector in Italy for the evaluation of the project results.
In addition CPR Consortium would promote information through other facilities
(General Markets) and by direct contacts with management, press releases and
newsletters. It also would publicise the results achieved through multimedia
presentations and seminars, bilingual brochures and descriptive, photographic
manuals presenting the methods and results. These materials would provide data
on the achieved results by the “Processing Centres” and, in particular, a detailed
analysis of the positive effects for the environment. Criteria The innovation of
the project consists in the organisation of the boxes movements, not only in the
technology used (foldable boxes are already present in the market). In fact "CPR
System" Consortium proposes mainly a new management methodology and
system, consisting in - the diffusion of special boxes (CPR) which are foldable,
reusable for about 60 journeys (30 return journeys), recyclable - the realisation
of a "Processing Centre" for the sanitation and the recycling of raw material. The
use of the proposed management method will let to trace all the movements of
the boxes. That means the status, the position and the movements of all the
boxes are at any time perfectly known. To this purpose an advanced information
system is necessary. The boxes are bought by the Consortium and rent to the
participants. The empty boxes are filled by fruits an vegetables producers and
sent to the large/detail market sellers; the market operators, after their
utilisation, send the empty boxes to the producers; when boxes are dirty, they
are sent to the Processing Centre, which provides to clean them up and send
them to the producers. But the main operation of the Processing Centre is to
keep a complete, updated accounting of the boxes in their status (empty, filled,
dirty, clean) and position (in process to be filled, by the large seller, by the detail
seller, in trip, etc.) In this way it is possible to respect environmental and
economic standards, because the boxes waste will be minimised through the
reuse of the boxes and the recycling of the material resulting by the broken parts
of boxes. It is reasonable to consider that the current Italian fruit and vegetable
boxes can be met with approximately 60 million CPR boxes. Results will be
divulged through press releases, newsletters, multimedia presentations,
seminars, bilingual brochures and descriptive manual on running of "Processing
Centre". This Document will provide a detailed analysis of the positive
environmental effects by "Processing Centre". All this will be performed to make
the project promotion repeatable. Results
By the end of the project (May 2002), the CPR Consortium had increased the
number of stakeholders from the initial 47 to 355 . Among these are represented
fruit and vegetables producers, transport enterprises, distributors, general
markets, etc. At the end of the project, 3.100.000 boxes were circulating among
markets, etc. At the end of the project, 3.100.000 boxes were circulating among
the consortium members and more than 2.000.000 boxes have been cleaned in
about 17 months. The boxes movements in the same period have been about
30.000.000. It was calculated that each box was able to be reused about 30
times/year with the CPR System and that the boxes waste almost reduced to
zero. The equivalent waste production would have been in the same period,
without the CPR System, about 30.000 tons (about 1 kg/box).In addition the cost
of the entire cycle of dispatching, washing and re-using the boxes was less than
the disposal cost for wooden boxes (after one single use). Based on the
hypothesis of 30 times reuse of boxes, the following calculations were made: fix costs for buying boxes: 1,03 €/box divided by 30 = 0,34 €/box utilisation variable costs (cleaning, accounting, etc.)= 0,18 €/box utilisation Total = 0,52
€/box utilisation In comparison the throwaway system cost about 0,61 €/box. An
analysis about the detail prices in the supermarkets showed that the fruit and
vegetables packaged with CPR System had a lower price in comparison with the
fruits and vegetables packed with other systems. Although, the reduction in
price had not yet reached 10% (in September 2002 it varied between 6 and 12%),
it must be taken into account that: - The CPR System is still in the beginning
stage - The operators can only partially transfer the cost reduction to the final
price. It can therefore be concluded that the project led to: - a drastic reduction
of waste from boxes - a significant cost reduction in the boxes movements which
can involve a final price reduction of the fruits and vegetables. The project is
also highly reproducible in other EU countries. . A follow up ex-post report,
carried out by the LIFE external monitoring team in April 2004, showed the
following impressive results: - The number of participants in the scheme had
jumped to 550 at the end of 2003, with around 50 million boxes in circulation at
the end of 2004. This is forecast to reach 60 million in 2005. This meant a waste
reduction in 2003, equivalent to around 50,000 tonnes (1 kg per box) and a
reduction in costs for waste treatment and disposal of around EUR 6.5 million. A market survey carried out in 2003 by the University of Bologna on prices of
citrus fruits, fruits and vegetables in Bologna, Florence, Milan and Rome
confirmed a price reduction of at least 10%, depending on the season. International reproduction of the project has begun with some tests being
undertaken with three Spanish companies, suppliers of CONAD – a large Italian
distribution company – which in 2003 managed 121,000 boxes. Top
Environmental issues addressed:
Themes
Environmental management - Eco-products design
Keywords
chain management‚ reuse of materials‚ packaging Target EU Legislation
Waste Directive 94/62 - Packaging and packaging waste (20.12.1994)
Natura 2000 sites
Not applicable
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Beneficiaries:
Coordinator
Type of organisation
Description
Partners
CPR System
SME Small and medium sized enterprise
CPR is a co-operative of fruit and vegetable
producers, either single farmers or large
companies or co-operatives. Some distribution
agencies also participate in CPR. C.S.O. Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli scarl - Via
Bologna, 534 IT-44040 Chiesuol del Fosso (FE) Top
Administrative data:
Project reference
Duration
Total budget
EU contribution
Project location
LIFE99 ENV/IT/000034
25-NOV-1999 to 25-MAY -2002
1,486,362.96 €
610,322.94 €
Valle d'Aosta(Italia),Trentino-Alto
Adige(Italia),Veneto(Italia),Emilia-Romagna(Italia)
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Read more:
Project web site
Publication
The Life “ Usa e … riusa” Project: the fresh
produce packaging logistics centre
Title: "Usa e... Riusa". Il Centro Attrezzato nella
Publication
Title: "Usa e... Riusa". Il Centro Attrezzato nella
logistica degli imballi per ortofrutticoli freschi
Author: CPR Year: 2002 Editor: CPR No of
pages: 8 Top
Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e