Yara Brasil, world leader in plant nutrition, and Packem SA have just closed an unprecedented partnership for the production of sustainable big bags. Big bags is the term used to define the packages that store and transport agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer. When looking for an alternative to polypropylene, a material used in the manufacture of bags and which currently has limitations in its recycling and reprocessing process, they found in PET/PCR, the plastic processed after consumption, the perfect substitute, giving rise to the first plastic packaging recycled and 100% recyclable in Brazilian agriculture. The contract provides for the start of deliveries for July 2022.
The new big bags guarantee the same functionality and safety when handling current packages. One of the main benefits is its positive impact on the environment, practically halving the emission of greenhouse gases in relation to traditional material. The project will also initially remove around 2,000 tons of virgin plastic of fossil origin from the field. As the material is 100% recyclable, it will encourage the circular economy of this chain.
After announcing advances in the production of green fertilizer, sustainable packaging adds value to Yara’s new offer for rural producers and for the entire chain. “Our ambition is to cultivate a positive food future for nature and, to achieve this, we have acted throughout the food journey, from the field to the consumer’s table. With agronomic knowledge, in the last 100 years we have been able to revolutionize how much the farmer produces. Now, based on the partnership we built with him and the expertise we gained along the way, we are ready to also transform the way he produces”, says Fabiana Vargas, director of Indirect Purchasing at Yara Brasil.
A pioneer in the production of sustainable big bags, Packem claims that this will be the biggest innovation in recent years in the agricultural packaging segment. “Packem’s objective is to develop the circular economy of packaging for the fertilizer sector. This is the world’s first bag-to-bag project, which will see big bags used in the field being processed and recycled into big bags again. We are going to reuse 100% of PET/PCR big bags, and this clearly demonstrates our commitment to eliminating virgin plastic from agribusiness and using recycled plastic, taken from farms and from the environment as a whole”, highlights Marcos Spitzner Filho, CFO of Packem.
The special technology for the production of high-performance fabrics from polyester/PET, which will allow this transformation in the field, is exclusive to the Austrian Starlinger, world leader in the production of machines for plastic raffia packaging, as well as recycling equipment for plastics. . With the credit line from Itaú BBA, the financing agent for the operation, Packem will build a new factory in Aurora (SC), next to its current headquarters, and will import all Starlinger machinery. The new factory will have an installed capacity to produce 6.4 million units of big bags/sustainable packaging per year.
For more information about Packem please visit: https://site.packem.com.br/en/
