Italy has implemented the European Packaging Directive in 1997 into national law. Packaging producers, wholesalers, distributors, fillers and importers are responsible for the take-back and recovery of packaging waste collected by public authorities; regarding transport and commercial packaging wholesalers, distributors, fillers and importers have to take it back free of charge and to send it to a collection station.
Therefore the "National Packaging Consortium" (CONAI) has been founded to fulfil the above mentioned obligations of industry; all obliged companies have to join CONAI by law.
CONAI, National Packaging Consortium, is a private consortium of firms working towards the recovery and recycling of packaging issued for consumption on national territory, with the aim of meeting statutory targets. CONAI guarantees target achievement at the lowest economic cost of all the European consortia, working as a market subsidiary.
A global approach
CONAI safeguards the environment by embracing the entire packaging lifecycle, from production to end-of-life management. To this purpose CONAI promotes the adoption of environment-friendly packaging at source, and then co-ordinates the recovery and recycling of packaging alter use.
The entire packaging chain subscribes to CONAI, from producers of raw materials and packaging to distributors, dealers and users. CONAI works through six Material Consortia - steel, aluminium, paper, wood, plastic and glass - which guarantee the necessary links with local administrations for the take-back of packaging from separate collection.
Financinq
Through the environmental contribution, paid by companies for packaging placed on the market, CONAI-Consortia system mainly supports and participates in the cost of separate packaging waste collection.
The development of separate collection in Italy
In order to guarantee the recovery of packaging from public collection, CONAI has stipulated a framework agreement (Accordo Quadro) with ANCI, the national association of Italian municipalities, that lays down conditions for the take-back of packaging waste collected by town councils. Within the ANCI-CONAI agreement, the Consortia may stipulate appropriate contracts with municipalities and waste collection service companies for the take-back of used packaging.
To date, over 6,800 municipalities have signed contracts and 95% of the population is now served within the framework. Since 2000 the quantity of packaging waste from separate collection managed by the consortium system has more than tripled.
Platforms
The CONAI-Consortia system has made a network of platforms available to companies, for the take-back of secondary and tertiary packaging from industrial and commercial activities not covered by the public service.
These are distributed throughout the national territory and process packaging material with no additional cost to companies.
Environment-friendly packaginq
CONAI is responsible for prevention incentive, and for promoting an optimised use of packaging materials with reduced harm to the environment throughout the entire packaging life-cycle, from production to post consumption. The concept of prevention underlying CONAI's activities is also geared to the general principles of sustainable development. It is embodied in activities that aim to spread a culture of environmental sustainability among companies and the general public, starting from the packaging planning stage and carrying on to support thedevelopment of an industry capableof re-utilising and valorising materials from the collection of separated waste. Pensare Futuro (thinking future), the CONAI project for prevention propagation, includes all consortium activities and projects that aim to improve the ecocompatibility of packaging. One of these is the Prevention Dossier, in its second edition. This is a collection of examples of environmentally virtuous packaging presented by producer and user companies.
Citizen awareness
The success of separate waste collection above all requires a general public commitment, and it is to the general public that CONAI turns its attention with its local communication and educational activities. Publicity campaigns, conferences, school seminars and university courses are just some of the tools used by CONAI to widen public awareness of the issues involved in waste recycling and recovery.
For further details please contact:
Consorzio Nazionale Imballagi - CONAI
Via Donizetti 6
20122 Milano Italy
Tel: +39 02 54 04 43 18
Fax: +39 02 54 12 26 48
info@conai.org
http://www.conai.org/
