Barilla

Scenario

Bran is the fibrous husk that covers the seeds of wheat and other grains such as rice, oats, barley, rye, and spelt. It is a waste material that, after being separated from flour through a refining process, takes the form of small flakes. To date, 52 percent of the bran is destined to become meal for livestock feed. The remaining 48 percent is used for the production of pellets (32 percent), biogas (13 percent) and as an ingredient in the food sector (3 percent) (Barilla, 2016). Recently, a new use of bran for packaging production has taken shape.

Description

Barilla, a world leader in baked goods and pasta, in collaboration with Favini of Rossano Veneto, an Italian paper mill among the global leaders in innovative specialty graphics made from natural raw materials, launched the Cartacrusca project in 2013. The goal is to recover bran that can no longer be used for food consumption and process it together with cellulose to make it a raw material for the production of paper to be used for the packaging of some Barilla products.

Through a process of purifying and micronization of the bran residue to make it compatible with the fibrous tissue of cellulose, a paper consisting of 65 percent FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) virgin fiber, 20 percent bran, 15 percent calcium carbonate, and other additives is obtained (Barilla, 2016). Compared to the production of one ton of standard paper, replacing 20% of cellulosic fibers with bran reduces the amount of_CO2eq per ton of product by 22% (Favini, 2016).

Cartacrusca is produced in two formats of different weights, 100 ^gr/m2 and 250 ^gr/m2. Its natural brown-beige color, reminiscent of bran, is easily recognizable and restores a completely innovative visual and tactile effect.

One interesting application is for Selezione Italiana, the giftbox designed in collaboration with Draeger GPP for Accademia Barilla: the company’s project to promote Italian gastronomic culture. Other applications have included the creation of promotional items (cookbooks, flyers) for different corporate brands, shoppers and institutional publications such as the Corporate Annual Report and the Sustainability Report.

The project has won numerous awards, including the ADI – Compasso d’Oro International Award 2015 Design for Food and Nutrition nomination, the Sette Green Award for the packaging category, and being awarded the overall Packaging Oscar 2015.

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