While new products bear witness to its industrial evolution, the Reunion supplier of plastic bags and, since a year, de papier reaffirms its commitment to the production and responsible use of packaging, promoting the circularity of activity.
The volume of household waste that can be recycled is no longer increasing in Reunion Island, while the information efforts of local authorities are supported. And confusion still reigns over waste sorting at home. Nothing suprising, in these conditions, for industrialists to make their voices heard on the subject, while combatting some preconceived ideas along the way. So, today, the Reunion specialist in flexible packaging, Bourbon Packaging, speaks through the voice of its director, Muryel Leblanc : “Consumers continue to confuse very thin single-use plastic bags, which are prohibited by regulations, with reusable plastic bags whose thickness is greater than 50 microns. The “zoiseau” bags and fashion bags we produce are made to be reused ! These polyethylene bags are made in part from recycled plastic, up to 70%, and can be recycled. If they are not yet accepted in the yellow bins, they can be dropped off at the collection points of the Fourmize and Proxi Compost associations, of which we are partners and who deliver them to us for recycling. We have the only significant plastic recycling unit on the island. It’s the same thing when it comes to drink pack packaging., paper towels and toilet paper : people tend to throw them away even though they are clean and we can recycle them. It must be understood that the greater the amount of recyclable plastic waste there will be, the more recycled plastic we can integrate into our products. » Proof of the Reunion paradox in this matter, Bourbon Packaging is forced to import regenerated plastic to maintain a high rate of recycled material in its products ! This is why the company supports Paul Soubaya’s project to produce polyethylene flakes from plastic waste., founder of Réunion Valorisation Environnement (RVE), which would make it possible to expand the local source of recycled material *.
The transition to blown and recyclable PET
On the industrial level, the year 2023 saw Bourbon Packaging’s commitments come to fruition. First of all, the transition from PVC to PET in bottle blowing. The company invested in new equipment and reviewed its organization. This development benefited from assistance from the France Relance “Territories and Industry” program.. PET is another plastic material that is easy to recycle. The eco-design work between Bourbon Packaging teams and customers also leads to a reduction in the quantity of plastic used., hence a saving of material : the new bottles contain 14% less plastic than the previous ones. In this market, the company “positions itself on small series of bottles with a lightweight product, suitable for food contact, recyclable, suitable for local bottling of fruit juices,lait, iced tea, Ice coffee ", describes Muryel Leblanc.
A year of learning for the new paper bagging activity
Bourbon Packaging has launched a paper bag activity manufactured and printed on its Bras-Panon site, following its name change in September 2022 (Bourbon Plastiques Emballage became Bourbon Packaging). “Somewhat complicated to get started in the post-Covid period, this activity took us a long year of learning. It is now fully operational. » Brown kraft and white kraft bags, bags with flat handle or twisted handle. Consumers ignore it, but the paper bags of fifteen big Reunionese names in commerce and industry are now manufactured on site, in the meeting, instead of being imported. The sourcing Bourbon Packaging paper complies with international environmental standards : PEFC certification of the paper guarantees that it comes from sustainably managed forests. An assumed bias : “We do not import reels of paper from countries with poor environmental standards. » Beautiful products demonstrate the company’s mastery of this know-how. Starting with the bags from the Ganthy group brands, who was the first support, and continues to be, of the activity. Like the bags from Leroy Merlin Réunion and those from Meunier de Bourbon for artisan bakers, where there is a QR Code giving access to a film on local flour manufacturing.
* Read also “Towards local recycling of plastics”, in Leader Meeting n° 230, mars 2024, and on leaderreunion.fr
