LIFE Use and... reuse

CPR System

We are a cooperative of fruit and vegetable producers, distributors and transport companies who introduced millions of reusable crates to move fresh produce while reducing packaging waste. Since launching CPR System in 1998, we have become one of the key pooling companies in Italy, catering for nearly half our national market.

Larger with Life

From 1999-2002, the EU LIFE Programme invested over €600 000 in the €1.5 million Use… and Reuse project to bring down the 7 million tonnes of packaging waste generated each year by the food sector in Europe.

CPR System introduced millions of reusable crates, washing centres and traceability systems to help companies in the fruit and vegetable sector reduce their environmental footprint.

EU added value

• Packaging costs down 10%
• Created over 200 jobs in logistics
• Reduced pollution in ecosystems

Prospects

• Save raw materials in food packaging
• Reuse megatonnes of waste in the EU
• Green packaging in other retail sectors

Achievements

• Deployed over 16 million reusable crates to move fruits and vegetables across Italy
• Reduced consumer fruit and vegetable prices by up to 10% in cities including Milan and Rome
• Enlisted over 1000 participants, offsetting thousands of tonnes of packaging waste each year
• Reduced public expenditure on waste treatment and disposal by millions of euros each year
• Created an online platform to automatically track the movement of crates in real time

Policy support

• Transport fruits and vegetables in adherence to the European Directive on Packaging Waste
• Reuse rather than discard raw materials in line with the EU action plan for the circular economy
• Clean crates using energy-efficient processes as set out in the climate and energy package