• The platform, active  since 2023, has been refined to adapt to the needs of the sector. The aim is to  save the Catalan packaging business fabric the cost of environmentally  diagnosing its products with specific studies. 

In 2023, Packimpact was presented, a tool that allows SMEs in the packaging sector to calculate their carbon footprint, water consumption and other environmental indicators considering all stages of the life cycle and in a simple, rigorous way. This 2024, within the Packimpact 2.0 project, it has been perfected and has done so by introducing more detailed data on the recyclability of flexible packaging, as well as new materials and manufacturing processes. It has also incorporated new functionalities when entering company information in order to facilitate this process. These updates make it an even more complete tool adapted to the needs of the sector. Developed by the Packaging Cluster and, in the technical part, unprecedented, it has the uniqueness that it offers precise and relevant information adapted to the particularities of the packaging industry. In addition, it can be easily integrated into companies' internal processes, allowing them to make informed decisions without requiring specialized sustainability personnel.

The tool takes into account the impacts generated at all stages of the product life cycle: materials, manufacturing, transport, use and end of life, in this case of packaging. It contains specific information on the materials and processes necessary to manufacture and/or market each type, as well as recovery and recycling. Packimpact is based on real and local data extracted from companies in the sector in Spain, and offers an environmental self-declaration of products, so that companies can communicate their sustainability with quantitative data. In addition, it shows results, comparisons of the environmental performance of different containers and packaging ― very useful information when making decisions in eco-design ― and allows this information to be exported in Excel and .PDF format and shared both internally and with customers.

The Packimpact 2.0 project has been led by the Packaging Cluster, and participated in an unprecedented development of its technical part. The other participants were AIMPLAS – Technological Institute of Plastics, which carried out recyclability tests of the packaging and provided data to improve the tool; COMEXI, a company that offers solutions for the flexible packaging sector and that, within the framework of the project, fed the tool's database with manufacturing data from its machinery; and IFLEX, a manufacturer of flexible packaging, which participated in the data extraction and carried out the mechanical recycling tests on its products. The Packimpact 2.0 was co-financed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR) through the 2023 call for the 2023 AEIs within the framework of the Next Generation grants and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

The first version of the tool was developed with the participation of the design studioLúcidoand the companiesFont Packaging  Group, Alzamora Group, Rieusset, Enplater Group, Virospack, NGP Projects  PackagingandGlovo. The project is financed with the line of Initiatives to Strengthen the Competitiveness of ACCIO Companies.