Aspiag Service, the franchisee of the Despar brand for Triveneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy, has reached another significant milestone in its journey towards sustainability and carbon footprint reduction. With 255 direct stores and 306 affiliates, the company is set to provide its customers with 40 million compostable shoppers, a move made possible through collaboration with Mater-Bi brand licensees of Novamont, a company under Versalis (Eni).

These bags, comprising 50% renewable raw materials, are both biodegradable and compostable, meeting the stringent international standard EN 13432. They align with the circular product lifecycle approach, allowing for recycling post-use. Local authorities' guidelines facilitate the collection of organic waste fractions, which are then transformed into compost, whether through household composters or industrial composting plants.

One of the key raw materials utilized in producing these Mater-Bi bags is bio-butandiol, derived from sugar fermentation through an innovative proprietary technology pioneered at the Bottrighe site in the province of Rovigo. This groundbreaking process, operational since October 2016 following an investment exceeding 100 million euros, boasts an annual production capacity of over 30,000 tonnes of bio-butandiol. Notably, the use of bio-butandiol contributes to a carbon footprint reduction of over 50% compared to traditional butandiol sourced from fossil fuels.

[1] The benefit was determined as the difference between the carbon footprint profile of 1,4 bio-BDO (ISO 14067:2018 certified) and the most indicative carbon footprint profile of fossil 1,4 BDO (in terms of technology employed) found in literature (specific sector databases and LCA studies).