ONTZI – Basque center for innovation in food packaging

Spain

The European regulation on packaging and packaging waste, currently awaiting publication, addresses several challenges and critical aspects for the Basque food sector. Aimed at curbing the growth of packaging waste generated in the EU, harmonizing the internal market and promoting the circular economy, the regulation covers the entire life cycle of packaging, establishes requirements to ensure its safety and sustainability, and sets ambitious targets for the years 2030, 2035 and 2040.

The proposal will require all packaging to be recyclable, with a minimum reduction of substances of concern, and improved labeling to inform consumers, including explicit references to the safety and hygiene of products in contact with food.

The uncertainty surrounding the forthcoming European food packaging regulations continues to create a challenging landscape for companies in the sector. The looming obligations of regulatory change will require an agile and efficient response from the agri-food industry.

In this context, the Basque Government has decided to create the ONTZI platform, whose technical secretariat is managed by IDOM, in order to position it as a strategic resource that provides the necessary guidance to understand and adapt to the new regulatory requirements that affect companies in the food sector.

The creation of this collaborative HUB has led to the implementation of the following actions:

Definition of a space that allows community members to access critical information through legal surveillance, market surveillance, technical surveillance and financial aid.
Support in the identification and prioritization of the specific challenges of Basque food companies through its dynamization, offering spaces to understand and address specific challenges in the management of food packaging.
Creation of a space capable of offering a dynamic catalog of solutions, where participants find specific approaches and practices to face the challenges identified.
Technical-legal advice for companies in the Basque food chain, a service designed to be a reliable guide on the road to the effective implementation of sustainable practices.
Monitoring of key events in the management of packaging and packaging allows us to keep updated on the latest developments and trends in the industry, also providing a space for accessing relevant news in this area.
Development of a specific online communication plan, through a specific website, social media and newsletter, and offline, based on face-to-face industry meetings, which promotes knowledge, learning and networking.

IDOM has been supporting the implementation of the platform since its launch in October 2023. ONTZI, the Basque Food Packaging Innovation Community, has been created as a dynamic and diverse ecosystem that integrates more than 330 key players in the packaging industry, from food companies to material manufacturers, equipment suppliers, government institutions, knowledge agents such as universities and reference technology centers, experts and start-ups.

This community responds to the challenges of the Basque food packaging value chain in the short, medium and long term and has generated catalytic actions that have strengthened the growth of the community, building a solid network of knowledge and experience exchange and actively supporting the adoption of sustainable practices in the food packaging industry.

Competitiveness & Innovation : Technology innovation hubs