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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 Top 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) Top 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