Milan, Italy, November 21, 2024: IFCO, a global leader in reusable packaging solutions for fresh food, has partnered with Gastrofresh, the fast-growing specialist supplier of high-quality fresh products to the hospitality and gastronomy sectors in South Tyrol, northern Italy. As the exclusive provider of reusable packaging containers (RPCs) for Gastrofresh, IFCO ensures the regional premium supplier achieves key sustainability and efficiency goals, including reducing the carbon footprint of its supply chain, ensuring timely deliveries and implementing zero-waste business practices.

Gastrofresh has earned a reputation for delivering premium products on tight, daily schedules, making efficient logistics critical. The IFCO SmartCycle circular business model for RPCs provides Gastrofresh with an efficient, smart and sustainable alternative to using single-use packaging to transport fresh products. This collaboration enables Gastrofresh to secure timely deliveries, maintain maximum product freshness and minimize carbon emissions along the entire supply chain.

Gastrofresh

IFCO makes impact in hospitality sector with reusable packaging solutions

Switching to IFCO RPCs was a smooth, seamless process for Gastrofresh. The benefits of replacing single-use packaging were quickly recognized by producers, hotels and restaurants, as Lukas Huber, Head of Purchase at Gastrofresh GmbH, explains: "With IFCO’s support, our customers quickly adapted to the reusable packaging model. This project sparked a lot of curiosity internally and a lot of interest from our customers. We immediately saw great savings in packaging volumes and waste. This is an exciting project for us because it makes us even more sustainable."

Stefano Zagato, Business Development Manager of IFCO Italy, is especially proud of the innovative partnership and the new type of venture. "We are very happy with the collaboration with Gastrofresh and the harmonious relationship between the partners right from the start. This agreement allows IFCO to expand into the hospitality, restaurant and catering sectors with a serious and reliable partner. As a partnership, it represents another significant step forward in IFCO’s diversification process, not only in terms of our product range – which now includes plastic pallets and RPCs customized for bananas, meat, bread and fish – but also in terms of our reach into new markets beyond large retail distribution."

Backed by the results of third-party, peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment studies, IFCO reliably calculates the environmental benefits of using IFCO RPCs and awards trustworthy Sustainability Certificates to its customers each year.