Last year, Fedrigoni took the bold step of appointing a Plastic to Paper sales manager and thirteen ‘Plastic to Paper ambassadors’ – sales representatives who could explain and promote P2P to clients and stakeholders. ‘P2P is an unstoppable movement,’ says Sarah Flower, Fedrigoni’s Plastics to Paper sales manager based in Bordeaux, France, tasked with developing the P2P business opportunity and coordinating the ambassadors.
‘This is being driven by consumers,’ she says. ‘Achieving a circular economy is a journey, and most people understand that. They see that innovation is happening, but that it will take time before new, alternative materials can offer the functional characteristics of plastics.’
Fedrigoni is developing new solutions that can replace plastics in many applications, such as Materia Viva Metamorphosis® – seventeen technologies capable of replacing plastics. ‘It’s a showcase of our capabilities and an invitation to our customers to work with us to develop tailored solutions,’ says Flower.
Fedrigoni is not anti-plastic, but looking to help brands replace single-use plastic with more sustainable cellulose-based alternatives.
‘Single-use plastics are about 40 percent of the plastics we use. Many of them have a life span of hours and then are discarded and will end up in the oceans or landfill. In some areas plastics are still a valid solution, so from a circular economy point of view the challenge is to eliminate what we don’t need and make sure the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable and/or compostable, and have a sustainable end of life.’
She cites progress in developing a global plastics treaty. ‘Brands are being pushed to make these changes by their younger customer base. That’s why it’s gathered such momentum.’ Another sign of Fedrigoni’s commitment is that in June 2023 the group became a network member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.