The INALCA Group uses various types of packaging: the main ones are plastic, paper, cardboard intended for packaging fresh and frozen meat, tinplate and aluminum are used for canned meat. During 2024, INALCA continued its policy of reducing the amount of packaging used, in order to obtain, where possible, a single packaging suitable for contact with the food compared to the traditional primary packaging – secondary packaging coupling.
INALCA, together with its packaging suppliers, promotes further projects to improve the packaging used, aimed at:
  • reducing the weight of packing both in absolute value and per unit/kg of packaged product;
  • introducing recycled raw materials into the composition of the packaging used;
  • allow the final consumer to recycle the packaging of the purchased product.

Selection of materials

Packaging is an integral part of the product and is inspected during the procurement, receipt, and use phases in the factories, in order to verify its technical compliance, suitability for food contact, and compatibility with production processes.
The selection of suppliers takes place through a qualification process that includes the evaluation of technical skills, reliability and documentation relating to the materials supplied.
INALCA collaborates with a network of qualified suppliers and favors, when compatible with production and quality needs, relationships with companies located in the areas where the Group’s main factories are located.
In 2024, approximately 53% of subsidiary material suppliers were located in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, regions that are home to the main INALCA plants. A closeness that fosters relationships of partnership, efficiency, and the development of joint technological improvement projects.

Optimization of packaging

During 2024, INALCA continued its commitment to the informed sourcing of packaging through interventions aimed at optimizing the materials used, reducing thicknesses, and increasing the content of recycled materials, with particular attention to plastic and paper packaging. In 2024, the INALCA Group used a total of 12,869 tonnes of paper and cardboard packaging, of which ’83% (10,663 tonnes) consisted of recycled material and 35% (4,482 tonnes) came from FSC-certified sustainable supply chains.
Within the Group, INALCA plants stand out for their results and high levels of performance: in 2024, 51% of the paper and cardboard purchased was made from FSC®-certified material, with an average share of recycled content of 90%, the result of a material selection process oriented towards quality, traceability, and responsible sourcing criteria.
The use of steel and aluminium for packaging is also part of the material optimisation process carried out by the INALCA Group. In 2024, of the total 2,141 tons of steel purchased, 67% (equal to 1,452 tons) came from recycled material; for aluminum, the recycled material content reached 45% (360 tons) out of a total of 798 tons purchased, confirming the progressive integration of recycled materials into packaging solutions.
All these initiatives contribute to significantly reducing the use of virgin materials, promoting the reuse and recycling of resources, and strengthen the Group’s commitment to a circular economy model increasingly integrated into production processes.