Green light from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security for the financing of 5 million and 530 thousand euros – with funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr) – for the construction of a new paper recycling plant and transformation into plastic packaging Puglia.
The company that was awarded the loan is Stampa Sud, which invested a further 5 million euros, for a total of 10, for the construction of the plant, in a place yet to be defined. The initiative is part of the wider project “Apulia eco-packaging supply chain”, which aims to create a regional system for the processing of waste paper and transformation into packaging to supply local companies. Considered among the most deserving by the Ministry of the Environment, the project saw the conception and development of the environmental consultancy company Forethinking and support in the supply of raw materials from the waste management company Serveco.
“I was confident that we would receive the funding, because I am aware of the great work that has been done – commented the CEO of Stampa Sud Attilio Posa -. The next step will be to identify the location where to build the plant, which will certainly be in Puglia to enhance our region as much as possible. The plant should go into operation in 2026”.
The goal of “Puglia eco-packaging supply chain” is to create and develop a virtuous circle of sustainable products that allows the collection and transformation of waste paper and cardboard, without sending differentiated waste to the North or buying raw material from other Regions.
“Together with the Department of Chemistry of the University of Bari – said the Founder of Forethinking Gennaro Durante – we made an analysis of the ecological impact of the production materials of Stampa Sud, to then create a ‘photograph’ of the industry chain paper industry at national and local level. Once we understood the amount of waste paper that came out of our Region, we worked to create an eco-design product, to transform and give new life to the raw material directly on the territory, in this case in the form of packaging.”
The total absence to date in the Puglia region of paper processing plants, determines a high environmental impact, also caused by transport to and from the various plants. The new plant will be the only one able to transform the raw material, not simply into recycled paper, but into products for a new use.
The funds allocated by the Ministry are part of the “FARO” project, which provides for the allocation of around 600 million euros from the Pnrr for circular economy projects, through which we want to support innovation in various manufacturing sectors, including electronics , plastics, textiles and paper and cardboard. “For us too, the new plant represents a beacon, a light to be able to relaunch our Region and the paper industry, with particular attention to sustainability”, concluded Posa.
etribuna.com