GEROSA GROUP:
INTERNET OF PACKAGING

The Zero waste philosophy is becoming more and more popular today, especially when it refers to packaging. However, it is unthinkable to live in a reality without packaging, essential to preserve and guarantee the products, reducing food waste and facilitating consumers thanks to convenience and functionality. Communication and design are also important for branding. At Gerosa we have undertaken a holistic approach, helping our customers towards a Sustainable packaging design, where packaging functions, performances and safety standards are maintained matching our production with responsible models and consumer demands. This is evident for the coffee segment, a relevant sector for Gerosa where our Group has achieved skills and experiences through the years and where we have been developing quality and innovative solutions which are enlarging our offer. We are continuing the development towards sustainable coffee solutions started with the introduction of our first coffee recyclable laminate, polyolefin mix (also finalist at the 2019 best packaging Oscar), with the introduction of a new monomaterial solution in line with the new norms and guidelines concerning the circular economy.

The monomaterial pack shows a consistent downgauging, due to the weight reduction of the packaging achieved by reducing the thickness of the recyclable film. Barrier properties are guaranteed thanks to the addition of a transparent barrier to light and gases. The new laminate, compared to the traditional one, does not contain aluminium, and it is recyclable as monomaterial where the infrastructures exists. Another important benefit is the cost saving during production cycle that can be achieved during coffee packing, thanks to the decrease in process temperatures. Other considerable values are the optimised transport costs. The decrease in thickness and weight in g/m² led to a consequent improvement in terms of logistics and carbon footprint, allowing an increase in transport volumes.

If the word “espresso” is considered an Italian symbol throughout the world it is because coffee has been capable of innovation while representing a lifestyle. From this point of view packaging plays a primary role in communication. About 80% of people use a mobile device before buying, making it one of the first points of contact for the brand, moreover about 60% of consumers prefer to have specific information about the product on their device (source: the special mobile report – Planet Retail).

Gerosa answers to this market demand, with the Invisible code – a partnership with BeeGraphic – which consists of an invisible code applied on the surface of the packaging, easy to scan with a mobile device and a free application (StealthCode®). This allows to access multimedia content, promotions, storytelling, directions on the end of life of the product or all that the brand wishes to communicate. The possibilities are innumerable. The code is incorporated via inclusive, non-replicable and duplicable printing technology. It is not a QR code but an evolved code. Packaging becomes interactive, a means of communication to engage consumers, collect and analyse big data, traceability and anti-counterfeiting tools and can also provide information on the packaging’s end of life; the internet of things is now the INTERNET OF COFFEE. Our idea of packaging for the future is accessibility and the sharing of information and experiences.