Sustainability in the food oil sector: The experience of the oleifici mataluni in eco-innovation projects

Abstract

Environmental sustainability is becoming a factor for competitive advantage on the market, as the new-generation consumers are determined to take into consideration the environmental impact of their purchasing choices. Also food companies are giving attention to this market demand, introducing social and environmental responsibility into their policies. This chapter reports the experience of a company operating in the sector of food oils, as regards two projects aimed at introducing eco-innovation in the productive processes. The first innovation regards the introduction on the market of an eco-sustainable bottle for food oil, made up of 100∈% recycled plastic; the second innovation regards the application of a process for the valorization of an effluent resulting from the process of extraction of oil from olives, by recovering high-value bio-molecules and purified water, thus turning a potentially polluting waste into a resource. Both the project have received the support of financial instruments for the environment of the European Commission, aimed at promoting the diffusion of eco-innovation in Europe.