Sociedade Ponto Verde, 25 years of recycling in Portugal – Sociedade Ponto Verde
Green, blue and yellow. The three colors of the ecopoints entered the life of the Portuguese 25 years ago. To mark this date, the Sociedade Ponto Verde (SPV) decided to recycle one of the icons that 20 years ago taught how in just 1 hour and 20 minutes it was possible for anyone to learn how to separate garbage at home and start recycling. A campaign makes gervasian chimpanzee it was a success. “If Gervásio can do it, so can you”, was the main message of this campaign.
After 20 years, the chimpanzee Gervásio returns with a new version, in 3D animation, to reinforce the message “innovate, evolve, recycle.” The idea is to make new generations aware of good recycling practices. To facilitate communication and remove any doubts that may exist with recycling, an SPV publication a WhatsApp channel with Gervásio.
A coordinator of the Marketing & Communication area of Sociedade Ponto Verde, Teresa Cortes, states that “the Portuguese already participate in packaging recycling, within their home context. The main factor to have more and better participation is the convenience of recycling. If we make recycling easier, an act that is requested by free form, membership is higher. “
Innovation for the packaging sector
A dissemination of good practices in recycling is not limited to the final consumer. Businesses play an important role. It is for them that “the online platform Green Dot Lab provides knowledge of what they can do to create better packaging. Signage, labels, material density, everything is available on the website of the Ponto Verde Laboratory”, explains Teresa Cortes.
In the context of the transition to a circular economy and on the carbon neutral route, SPV’s strategy of action is based on the articulation between a wide range of partners, in a value chain logic for its shareholders and customers, ensuring the fulfillment of its responsibilities in a context of greater efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
In support of its strategy, SPV encourages the adoption of best practices in packaging design in terms of prevention and recycling, innovative selective selection and recycling processes, and also the incorporation of secondary raw materials in value-added products, with substantive impacts on the efficient use of resources.
The Ponto Verde Lab platform challenges agents in the packaging value chain to develop packaging that is more sustainable from scratch, and with greater potential for recyclability after consumption. It started out as an essentially prevention area which, taking into account the growing importance of innovation in the entire recycling value chain, will also include SPV’s research and development projects. Innovation, which is central to the entire green transition strategy, ranges from the search for “eco-friendly” packaging to the consumption of products with less impact on the environment, including the reuse of packaging.
Thus, to your usual concerns – aesthetics, ergonomics, ease of production, cost, safety, quality, functionality and legal requirements – this platform incorporates the principles of ecodesign, to ensure a sustainable design that benefits recycling, bringing together a set of recommendation for the optimization of the study, development and production processes of packaging and aggregates them in “pack4recycling”. In addition to the platform, an SPV also has a team dedicated to providing technical support to brands, so that they apply the best principles in the design and conception of their packaging.
Reduction and recyclability
Ponto Verde Lab aims to be an effective contribution to the objectives defined in the prevention, innovation, research and development strategies. According to the one relating to packaging and packaging waste, prevention is understood as the reduction in the quantity and harmfulness to the environment of materials and substances used in packaging; packaging and packaging waste, in the production process and in the marketing, distribution, use and disposal stages.
Packaging is not just considered as a simple container that holds a certain product. On the contrary, they are associated with a constant evolution, in order to respond effectively to the demands of all those involved, throughout their life cycle. For this, it is important, among other aspects, to evaluate in detail the choice of materials and production processes, the combination of components, the shape and volume of the packaging and the type of product that is packaged. It is extremely important to combat over-packaging, always taking into account the danger of under-dimensioning.
If the packaging is not sufficiently robust or does not provide adequate protection (chemical, biological and / or mechanical) throughout the entire distribution and consumption chain, it can reach the breaking point. This situation would cause the loss or destruction of the content, as well as the packaging itself, generating additional negative effects, both economically and environmentally.
The strategy for prevention is approved, therefore, in two aspects: reduction and recyclability. The axis of action of the “reduction” includes as a measure of reducing the unit weight of the package; improvement in the relation between the weight of the package and its content and the non-use of superfluous packages. The “recyclability” axis of action includes measures for the use of materials with greater possibilities for recovery / recycling; incorporation of recycled raw materials or sustainable management certificates and the qualitative improvement of the packaging in order to minimize its environmental impact.