Near
Ferrara there is a family-run business, now in its second generation, that has
always focussed on polypropylene and natureflex™ packaging suitable for
foodstuffs. Today, research and production look to green solutions. For FARE
INSIEME Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Luca Finotelli, owner of Eurocell.
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
What if we
did something special here in Italy too? It was 1988 when Anselmo Finotelli and
his wife Mariangela Roncarati had an idea that would prove to be a winner in
time. They decided to specialise in food packaging because - they thought and
thought again, focusing on the idea that would soon turn into a business -
preservation systems would become increasingly important. Eurocell was born:
the company entered the world of packaging, producing shapes, sheets, hamburger
discs and cellophane and polypropylene shavings. ‘Mum and dad noticed that
these products were hard to find for local businesses and decided to throw
themselves into this new challenge, shifting from a business that only sold
paper products to one that manufactured cellophane and polypropylene
packaging," says Luca Finotelli, now head of Eurocell. We are in Renazzo,
a district of Cento, in the province of Ferrara. A borderland because it is
equally distant from Bologna, Modena and Ferrara. And a land of
experimentation, of the desire to make a difference.
Company
profile. Sniffing out market needs like bloodhounds and acting quickly to
implement them before others do. This is how Eurocell was born. Today the
company produces polypropylene and natureflex™ packaging suitable for
foodstuffs and employs some fifteen people at its two plants: the first in
Renazzo, near Ferrara. The second in Palestro, in the province of Pavia.
Turnover is around Euro 5.7 million, up 25% over last year. From Emilia to the
world. Today Eurocell is present in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Malta, Czech Republic,
Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The customers are retailers,
i.e. packaging wholesalers and final consumers, i.e. the confectionery industry
and pasta factories. In the early noughties, the production capacity and
product range was increased with the takeover of Cellbust, a company that
produces packaging items including square and vacuum pack bags.
‘The square bag is used by every Italian
business but produced by just a few companies. Time has proven us right. Over
the years, this product has become increasingly popular because of its
practicality and intrinsic aesthetic and functional characteristics that make
it better than the paper packaging that prevailed in the market until then,’
says Finotelli.
Focus on
sustainability. The years went by and in 2010 the second generation arrived and
the sons Marco and Luca began to focus even more on environmental
sustainability. And something happened that only the great think of: they
introduced the logic of sustainability in company policy. Hence the selection
of environmentally friendly means of production, the careful use of natural
resources and social responsibility with regards to all those involved in the
value chain. Sustainable future packaging, a line of high-quality products
aimed at reducing environmental impact, was born. Today, the Renazzo plant -
the most populous district of the town of Cento, also in the province of
Ferrara - is focused on reducing environmental impact. Energy efficiency, a photovoltaic
panel system on the roof, insulation and a fully automated lighting system.
‘Our premises are designed to be cutting edge with all the most recent
construction and energy efficiency technologies. Following this logic, aimed at
a sustainable future, all the necessary steps have been taken to make the plant
as self-sufficient and high-performing as possible in terms of consumption and
emissions,’ Finotelli explains. Actions and narratives. And then the
sustainability report arrived too. ‘Although it is not yet a mandatory document
for our sector, we decided to draw it up to monitor our company's social,
environmental and governance impact, reporting on the commitments and results
achieved and sharing strategies for improvement,’ says Finotelli. Now the
future revolves around two key concepts: recycling and reuse. ‘Our goal is to
focus all available resources on finding solutions that have a low impact on
the environment, a goal that can only be achieved through a shared awareness
that our future depends on the actions of today,’ concludes Finotelli. Thinking
big and above all thinking about the generations that will inhabit our planet
in the future. This is the vision of exceptional enterprises.
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