We met SDR at interpack, one of the most important fairs this year: what did you present?
From the first day the fair was very lively and we are very happy with this. We presented our products which constitute an alternative to traditional plastic. Our R&D is working on new recyclable plastics which, unlike what usually happens, combine polymers of the same type and display the disposal label on the packaging.
We are also producers of flexible paper films and compostable films and we are doing the same thing in this area too. However, since plastic is the most used material, one of the most important projects we are carrying out is the one that concerns the transition from films made of different polymers to films made of recycled monomaterials which at the fair were at the center of several negotiations with customers acquired and potential ones, including foreign ones. One of our strengths is that our R&D office allows us to support the customer in the development of the project until we are able to propose a solution that is at the same time the most innovative and also the most concrete and sustainable in terms of cost/benefit ratio.
What message do you want to convey?
The main objective was to make the company known abroad where we would like to be increasingly present in the future. Being our first participation at interpack, we presented an overview of all our most innovative solutions, therefore: plastic film, paper and compostable. These solutions are sustainable, but also marketable thanks to a correct cost-benefit ratio. On our stand we showed videos with testimonials from our customers, which were functional to the message we wanted to convey to interpack: SDR Pack has the numbers to support its customers in their journey of change. Over the next three years we aim to significantly increase turnover by accrediting ourselves as a supplier and a packaging production company that can also be a reference for those who need a service in addition to the product. In our perspective, service means guaranteeing deliveries within the established times, but above all and even before that, being able to offer consultancy in the management of a change that goes beyond aspects such as quality or yield because it concerns the material and consequently the packaging itself.
Is the search for sustainability and recycling now to be considered systemic?
We have now moved from a situation of exploring a new potential market and a trend, to having our warehouses being filled with recyclable and sustainable material. By this I mean that today we work and market these materials, the market is concrete and dynamic. The objective we have set ourselves as a company is to guarantee increasingly higher levels in quantity and quality of these new materials.
So it seems like your opinion a sort of Copernican revolution is taking place in this market…
Our point of view, and we are working on this, is that today we need to make an effort to make packaging a resource. A world without packaging is unthinkable. In the food sector, for example, it is packaging that allows food to be sold and transported, ensuring its shelf life, making it accessible to everyone and limiting waste due to poor preservation.
Today in the world of packaging we are thinking about the possibility of using materials that transform it into a resource because they can be reused. This is what happens with materials that can be reused several times with a correct recycling process.
Once the lockdown was over, many expected the push for sustainable innovation to scale back and return to normality. What is happening instead?
Before the pandemic, the approach to innovation in the direction of sustainability was experimental and unrealistic. Today concreteness prevails and in fact the projects in which we are involved are completed. We find a much higher level of competence in our customers which, for example, has led to the introduction of the figure of the Packaging Manager which until two or three years ago was non-existent in the Food sector. We are contributing to this transformation by sticking to a consultancy approach that is rewarding us. I think this phase is set to continue for at least the next 18-24 months. In this period of time, the materials that market leaders present as innovative today will become the standard. And this is also thanks to the fact that, even at a regulatory level, the use of traditional materials will be discouraged by resorting to higher taxation.
What are the market trends currently underway?
In Italy there is a fairly significant drop in consumption and this leads those who currently operate exclusively on the national market to focus on products with the lowest possible euro/kilo price. Many of our client companies are therefore focusing on foreign markets; we are supporting them in proposing innovative packaging solutions.
You too want to open up abroad. How much does Italy have an impact on you today?
At this moment, over 95% of our business takes place in Italy. The situation is destined to change rapidly given that our Industrial Plan aims to double our turnover in the next 5 years. To achieve this, we will aim to grow in Italy, but above all abroad. We have the production capacity and the people to do it. Not to mention that, thanks to the fact that we support our customers who operate abroad, we also have a good knowledge of the different legislations.