EcoPack | Ahead of The Mainstream | Business Enquirer | July 2022

Ahead of The Mainstream

PROJECT DIRECTED BY

WRITTEN BY

Chiara Salter

Frew Murdoch

Annalisa Ferri, CEO, Ecopack

Ecopack

Ahead of The Mainstream Ecopack embraced the sustainability and ecodesign ”before it was cool”.

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he fight against single-use plastic and unnecessary wastage is well underway.

Consumers are hyper-aware of sustainability, which has led to increased vigilance regarding organizations’ approaches to ecology. This has translated into substantial changes for companies worldwide in terms of products and packaging. Huge multinational companies like Evian, McDonald’s, and The Walt Disney Company have pledged to cut back on plastic, and this comes not just out of a responsibility to the environment, but also as a way of satisfying the consumer’s demand for more accountability and low-impact offerings.

It is evident that many companies are caught in a place of reaction, struggling to transform product lines and meet customers’ needs while protecting the bottom line. Conversely, companies that demonstrated foresight of the importance of environmental sensitivity are reaping the benefits of forward-thinking. Ecopack is one such organization; a business that has demonstrated proactivity since it was first founded in 1939. This family-owned business is swimming ahead of the mainstream, in a river where many companies are fighting to tread water.

Ecopack designs and produces paper baking molds for the food industry worldwide with an extensive range of over 800 products. The company creates bespoke solutions to meet clients’ needs, using its engineering skills to work with a variety of paper types in different styles of molding, to create products that are certified FSC, recyclable, compostable, and fit for the kosher food industry.

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Ecopack Sustainability from the ground up Ecopack was funded, under the name of “Ferri Cartotecnica”, by Salvatore Ferri, in 1939.

In 1988, Luigi Ferri rebranded the company as Ecopack, at a time when sustainability and ecology were notions unthought of. Ecopack brought Luigi’s vision to life and the company title concisely summarizes the organization’s ethical direction and strategy.

Annalisa Ferri, CEO at Ecopack, shared how her grandfather’s vision continues to drive their growth and future: “The interest for sustainability has always been strong in Ecopack. My grandfather already, over fifty years ago, understood the importance of recyclable materials and was always researching new solutions. Our business strategy has been strongly focused on avoiding the unnecessary use of non-recyclable materials for our products. Today, our product range includes solutions such as Cocoa Paper, which has a chemical composition that drastically reduces the use of virgin paper by substituting it with cocoa shells.

Sustainability Feature “Many of our international plants have been created specifically to accommodate our clients’ requests, and that is a great accomplishment. Knowing our clients’ trust in Ecopack is so strong has allowed us to take risks that ended up being a great choice for our business and our clients. I think there is no greater achievement than to create value for both your company and client.

“We have solved two major problems for Ferrero Rocher. In the 70s, they had a very successful product called Fiesta. At that time, we provided them with kilometers of doily, which were placed underneath the cake product. We were the only ones who were able to do it in reels, which means we offered a packaging solution for a key customer. Then, we started manufacturing the paper cup that is underneath the Ferrero Rocher. We could do it, granting them 99.9% efficacy on the line. This was a quality built in the process of manufacturing the cup,” disclosed Annalisa.

“Moreover, all our products have a certified compostable version that completely changes the afterlife of the product by allowing customers to throw it directly into the compostable garbage, thus avoiding pollution. My grandfather’s intuition has been proved by the increasing interest sustainability is gaining nowadays. Every day, more businesses ask us for recyclable or compostable products, or for specific certifications as fundamental requests to start a business collaboration.”

Solving key customer problems There is a solid basis for the enduring longevity of the maxim “the customer comes first”. Many companies develop by answering customer requests, and Ecopack is no different. The organization demonstrates an aptitude for solving customer problems as these arise.

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Ecopack products on display

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Sustainability Feature

Ecopack Leading the way in 2022 With current worldwide challenges, leading the pack in 2022 can be compared to playing a particularly difficult game of minesweeper - one must tread carefully, with precision, strategic intent, and comprehensive knowledge of the playing field. Annalisa, who has faced numerous challenges during her 25 years at Ecopack, believes business leaders need to address today’s obstacles of talent retention and healthy supplier relationships to achieve success.

We focus on retaining “employees by affording them

opportunities to improve their capabilities and grant them a good balance between work and personal life.

“The first challenge is that the Covid experience changed people’s attitude towards work. They were forced to stay home, which allowed them to realize the value of the balance between work and private life. As a result, workers now prioritize flexible work models, which can make it difficult to attract and retain talent.

“We focus on retaining employees by affording them opportunities to improve their capabilities and grant them a good balance between work and personal life. We focus on investing in our talent to develop their competence, technical skills, and software skills… An experience in working that is worth more than staying at home.

“The pandemic was also an occasion to strengthen our relationship with our supplier – there was a moment when our main supplier of raw material did not know where to stock the paper reels. The market was slow and they did not have enough space. We said they could deliver to us in advance because we did have the space. That has proven to be of enormous importance when one year later, they were not able to produce what the market was asking. They were forced to choose between their customers; they did choose us,” explained Annalisa.

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Ecopack: a valued business partner of Nordic Paper for many years!

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Ecopack

Sustainability Feature Industries across the world have changed for the better in the response to climate change and environmental threats. In a time where many companies are caught in the “stimulus-response”, or a “crisis-react” pattern, it pays to be ahead of the curve by preparing for the future, doubling down on talent, and being accountable.

“We also have gone through a period of slow demand to a period of super demand. Our company has developed capabilities that we did not think we had, and this is a strengthening factor for the company. These capabilities are now a stronger base that we can use to build on new products and delivering systems which are both circular and low carbon,” ended Annalisa. www.ecopack.com

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Ecopack www.ecopack.com

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