We start the new year with renewed strength and with more desire than ever to explain what is happening in the packaging industry, while serving as best we can as a guide and source of inspiration

The biggest news in our sector was undoubtedly the entry into force of the new plastic tax on January 1. Although this measure is causing more than a headache or two and being rejected in some quarters, we must highlight its value and the good intentions behind its approval.

 

I’d like to start with a small anecdote about it. A few days ago, a colleague from the InfoPack team took her well-known, pre-cooked brand of fresh pasta and sauce out of the fridge. She found that the plastic fork had been replaced by a wooden one, which actually caused her some problems when it came to eating. It made me realise the "trauma" inflicted on many consumer brands that use plastic routinely who try to make life easier for the consumer and the small margins they have been given to implement the necessary changes.

 

We dedicated our previous article to explaining all the implications and repercussions of this new law, so I do not want to dwell on these issues excessively; however, we do believe it necessary to once again echo some relevant voices, such as PlasticsEurope, the pan-European association of plastics manufacturers, which Readers will be able to find it in this issue, which calls for "more time for a fair transition accompanied by an adequate regulatory framework”. Moreover, as Irene Mora, head of Public Affairs and Sustainability of this entity, tells us, "Today, even though the tax is already in force, there are still many companies, most of them SMEs, who know little about how to implement it and all the additional administrative burdens it entails.” I think it's all very clear. And we also want to listen to the always authoritative voice of the ITENE technology centre, our co-publishing partner, who explains in these same pages how to gain exemption from the payment (an essential article if your business is affected by the tax).

 

Changing the subject, we would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a man who has given everything for the label industry while adding value to it. We are referring to Luis Fernández Vilela, co-founder and CEO of Coreti (on the cover), one of the most representative companies in the sector in Spain. He steps aside to let his team continue his immense professional legacy. We would like to share an interesting talk with our readers in which we review his beginnings, his way of understanding the company - far from the traditional conventions - with the immense wisdom of "let those who know how to do it, do it", the acquisition by Asteria Group and much more. And what better, Luis, than to say goodbye with this wonderful conversation in which you show us the LABELLING LEGACY you have left behind.

 

Fco. Javier Romero

Editor Infopack Magazine