The Spanish Federation for Wooden Packaging and its Components (FEDEMCO) has met in Valencia. The nearly 70 associated companies manufacturing and exporting wooden packaging have gathered for another year to mark the future of a sector in which Spain is a leader in Europe.
One of the key points of the meeting was the acquisition of the European certification brand ECOWOOX. This new seal guarantees the total recyclability of packaging on which it appears.
The Valencian technological institute AIDIMME will be in charge of auditing the materials, the wooden packaging, and the provision of training to members of the federation. With this initiative, FEDEMCO seeks to highlight one of the key strengths of wooden packaging, namely its recyclability, while also responding to new legislation.
“Wooden packaging is 100% recyclable, but right now we lack a joint certification to provide tangible proof of that. We are the ones responsible for obtaining it, not the suppliers. We form a collaborative group with them. We work in a circular economy, in which we need to collaborate with all the links in the chain. This is an essential step in order to come into line with the new legislation”, said Enrique Soler, president of FEDEMCO.
Another of the highlights was the legal reformulation of GROW International as a European federation. This transformation will permit representation in the European institutions, for which reason the European federation is headquartered in Brussels. GROW International currently represents the wooden packaging industry in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy, and is open to new members.
With regard to the Spanish market, an agreement with Ecoembes, the organization responsible for the recycling of domestic waste in Spain, has been announced, to improve communication and raise awareness about the correct recycling of wooden packaging. In addition, the
collaboration with Mercasa, the public company responsible for managing the Spanish wholesale markets, will make possible the launch of a pilot scheme to test the centralized collection of wooden packaging in the Mercas.
Finally, the study entrusted to IMEDES (the Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development) will provide relevant data on the domestic wooden packaging sector over the coming months.
For more information:
Enrique Soler Segrelles
www.fedemco.com