Call for expressions of interest in the "Emballali" project (Innovative collective solution for food packaging)

Végépolys Valley (competitiveness cluster for the plant industry) and the CTCPA (Industrial Technical Center serving the food industry) are launching a Call for Expressions of Interest from food packaging manufacturers, to identify and implement new packaging solutions. These solutions must meet regulatory requirements for the marketing of unprocessed fresh and wet vegetable products, including radishes.

In fact, the various laws relating to the environmental context (AGEC Law / 3R Decree and European PPWR Regulation) reinforce the drastic reduction or even ban on single-use plastic packaging in these sectors. This is why the EMBALLALI from the Innovative Collective Solution for Food Packaging competition organized by the Pays de Loire Region.

Through this project, the mission of the working group, led jointly by Végépolys Valley and the CTCPAThe aim is to find possible alternatives, taking into account the ban on plastic packaging in this sector and the specifications requested by vegetable producers.

In this context, the working group is calling on all packaging manufacturers to propose alternatives to the single-use plastic packaging currently used on the market for portioned sales of fresh, moist, unprocessed vegetables such as radishes.

In a first phaseSuppliers interested in participating in the project should :

• To register your interest, please contact the CTCPA by e-mail: David ALLAIN (Packaging Division Manager) dallain@ctcpa.org and Amélie DUCROS (Packaging Project Manager) aducros@ctcpa.org,


• Solution submission deadline: April 15, 2025


• Provide initial elements to clearly identify the solution(s):
  
  
  
  • Technical data sheets,
  
  
  • Sending samples,
  
  
  • Any other information deemed relevant to the project.
  
  
  
  

To enable the project to move forward, this call for expressions of interest is being issued prior to the definition of the final specifications for the packaging solution required. The final specifications are currently being drawn up in conjunction with the members involved in the project. The specifications will of course be made available to suppliers wishing to take part in the project.

Following a review of the various applications received, and their compatibility with the specifications, two solutions will be retained by the working group in order to pursue the project in a more coherent way. SECOND PHASE constituted :

• Trials of these two solutions in a technology development hall,


• Evaluation of radish shelf life and organoleptic characteristics,


• A presentation of the results to the project team,


• A selection of the final solution.

For this phase, the packaging manufacturers selected will have to supply samples of packaging materials in sufficient quantities to enable the tests to be carried out.

At the end of the project, a test phase will be carried out on the production site.

It should be noted that, to comply with competition law requirements, the data and tests carried out during the project will be anonymized until the optimum solution has been selected.

It is also reminded that this project is a demonstration of technical feasibility, and that the members involved will be free to use the solution selected and proposed within the framework of this project.

Any supplier who responds to this call for expressions of interest will be free to request information justifying the non-selection of its proposed solution.

For further information about the project, please contact David ALLAIN, Director of the Packaging Division, (dallain@ctcpa.org) and Emeline GARNIER (emeline.garnier@vegepolys-valley.eu) project manager for Végépolys Valley

The CTCPA and Végépolys Valley teams