Company profile
THE COMPANY Ecobags s.r.l. is an engineering company located in the area of Bologna, Italy. The company, established in 1985, is the brainchild of its current President, Mr. Dangher Caffeo. Ecobags s.r.l. has a rich industrial background in different fields, spanning from high speed automation to R&D of new products. Innovation capability and technical development are at the core of our company, which has been active on the market for more than 30 years.
THE MISSION Researching and developing new ideas in order to solve problems we identify in the market, aiming at the company s continuous innovation; Developing projects which are sustainable from an environmental and an ETHICAL point of view, characterized by improved energy efficiency, rational use of resources and a reduced environmental and social impact; Making every potential Customer a PARTNER with the aim of a mutual growth.
THE PARENT COMPANY AND ITS PARTNERS Ecobags Is the founding member and major shareholder of IDEAITALIA group Company active in R&D and trade of new materials and innovative products such as PLA, rechargeable batteries, low consumption bulbs Working in partnership with industry in new emerging markets. PLA MATERIALS PRODUCERS
THE PRODUCTS OUR 100% BIOBASED, COMPOSTABLE, ETHICAL PRODUCTS Are the result of many years of investments in R&D pursued in partnership with industry in emerging markets: Patented compostable coffe capsules: heat resistant up to 130 C ; Compostable, disposable tableware suitable for microwave use and heat resistant up to 90 C ; Compostabile bottles with compostable cap; Compostable film and food packaging ; Compostable shopping bags;
Our compostable food-packaging: IV range packaging (fresh fruit and vegetable products ready to use). It better preserves fresh products increasing their shelf-life; Pasta packaging with excellent mechanical, physical and barrier properties (processability, transparency, oxygen/moisture barrier)
Why choosing our compostable food-packaging: It s eco-friendly, because it is100% bio-based, made from renewable resources instead of fossil-based plastics; It s 100% compostable, you can toss it along with food waste and it turns into compost within12 weeks; It s ethical, because it is not derived from edible plants, so it does not take food resources away from humanity; It s BPA free (does not contain Bisphenol A, the carcinogenic compound present in the most commonly used plastic food packaging).
SHELF LIFE 18 MONTHS HEAT RESISTANT UP TO 130 C PATENTED COFFEE CAPSULE: ETHICAL/COMPOSTABLE THEY BIODEGRADE COMPLETELY TURNING INTO COMPOST
What is special about our compostable coffee capsules? 100% compostable, after use they can be disposed of in the organic fraction together with food waste, turning into compost within 12 weeks and returning to the earth where they come from; Unique heat resistance, up to 130 C (while cornbased PLA capsules have a much inferior heat resistance); Compatible with the most popular coffee systems; Ethical, because made from non-food crops (not from corn, sugar and other edible crops), they do not take food resources away from the human food chain.
What is special about our compostable tableware? Unique heat resistance, up to 90 C (while cornbased PLA has a very low heat resistance and cannot be used with hot beverages); Suitable for microwave use (up to 5 minutes 600 W, while other corn-based PLA products cannot be used in microwave); Ethical, because made from non edible plants (not from corn, sugar and other food crops), they do not take food resources away from humanity. 100% compostable, they can be 100% returned to earth through composting becoming soil fertilizer.
OUR CERTIFICATIONS Products compostability certificates: VINÇOTTE - OK-compost Products food contact safety certificates: NEOTRON SERVICES, EUROFINS ISO 9001 Company quality management Auditing of overseas production sites: ISEVEN Servizi s.c.
In the qualification process of our compostable products (normative EN13432), Ecobags srl, our parent company, has been awarded the OK-compost conformity mark by VINÇOTTE the most authoritative certification body for the European market and has been certified by NEOTRON SERVICES and EUROFINS for all the analysis required for verifying the products food contact suitability.
NEOTRON and EUROFINS, our partners in the certification of food contact suitability of our products, are 'Global Players' in the market of analytical services, providing consulting to companies working in the food processing and distribution industry. 16
Our company has been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification since 2010, a further proof of quality and reliability.
Moreover, we have availed ourselves of the consultancy service of ISEVEN Servizi s.c. to verify the manufacturing sites based in China trough on-site audits Thus, the whole production chain from the manufacturing of the raw material to the finished products is certified, and its compliance with EU standards has been verified.
All our compostable products are 100% made of vegetable raw materials from non-food crops, not from corn or other edible crops. For this reason they are ETHICAL products, which do not take food resources away from humanity.
Where does our 100% biobased PLA come from?
What is cassava? Cassava is a starchy tuberous root, extensively cultivated in Thailand and China There are two kinds of Cassava: 1. Bitter cassava, mainly used for industrial processing; 2. Sweet cassava, similar to potatoes, edible without processing. Bitter cassava, which is used to produce PLA, is not edible unless it undergoes a very laborious process, and still eating it is not 100% safe. Source: Vincent Lebot, "Tropical Root and Tuber Crops, cassava, sweet potato, yams and aroids, Wallingford, UK: CABI (2009).
LCA (life cycle assessment) of PLA: environmental advantages The LCA accounts for all the environmental impacts associated with a product, covering all stages in a product s life: Procurement manufacture use disposal Assessment Standards: ISO 14040 series Assessment items: 1. Total energy use 2. Main greenhouse gas emission
PLA Life Cycle The ultimate end products after disposal via composting are CO2, water and minerals: after use, PLA products can be composted and returned to the earth, the so-called from cradle to cradle
AFTER 8 WEEKS AFTER 4 WEEKS AFTER 10 WEEKS AFTER 6 WEEKS The composting phases of PLA coffee capsules (laboratory pictures)
PLA Energy Use and CO2 Emissions Source: National Development and Reform Commission, China Energy Statistical Yearbook, 2005, National Bureau and Statistics of China and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
PLA Energy Use and CO2 Emissions (2) Source: National Development and Reform Commission, China Energy Statistical Yearbook, 2005, National Bureau and Statistics of China and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Energy use of PLA and fossil-based plastics Source: www.plasticseurope.org, The Contribution of Plastic Products to resource efficiency Final report 2005, p. 46
CO2 emissions of PLA and fossil-based plastics Source: www.plasticseurope.org, The Contribution of Plastic Products to resource efficiency Final report 2005, p. 46
Conclusions: Made from non-food crops based PLA, using traditional farming methods; No impact on the human food chain, therefore ETHICAL; After use our coffee capsules and the other PLA products can be composted and returned to earth where they come from; Completely turn into compost within the timeframe established by EN 13432 standard; BPA free (Bisphenol A), the carcinogenic compound present in the most common plastic products used in the food industry; Taking biomass as raw material instead of fossil fuel Less energy consumption during production compared to PET, PVC, PP and other fossil-based plastics; Less CO2 emissions during production compared to fossil-based plastics; The production and use of cassava-based PLA provide a more reasonable carbon cycle which promotes sustainable development as well as decreasing greenhouse gas emissions
CONTACTS Thank you for your attention! Ecobags s.r.l. Via Goito, 3 40126 Bologna - ITALY Phone +39 051 846048 Fax +39 051 6784615 E-mail ecobags@ecobags.it Website: www.ecobags.it : Eticap @IDEAITALIAgroup Property of Ecocbags s.r.l. - Copy is forbidden without prior written consent of Ecobags s.r.l.