Saint-Gobain’s hollow glass manufacturer Verallia has set up a partnership with UNES, an Italian supermaket chain, with the aim of introducing a variety of more than 20,000 bottles made by Verallia with the EcoUnes brand.
The partnership between Verallia and the Italian supermarket chain UNES, has started at the newly inaugurated supermarket in Monza, northern Italy. The partnership aims at introducing a variety of more than 20,000 bottles made by Verallia with the EcoUnes brand name in its supermarkets.
The agreement between UNES and Verallia, the latter a global manufacturer of glass containers for the food and beverage industry, has a double aim: making consumers aware about the important characteristics of glass, which is a par excellence healthy, natural and sustainable material thanks to its re-usability and endless recyclability – and to promote choices and habits that respect the environment, such as the re-use of food containers.
“This collaboration with UNES has been set up thanks to our shared approach of responsibility towards the consumption of environmental resources, with the use of innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact,” says Roberto Pedrazzi, Sales and Marketing Director at Verallia. “This initiative, in particular, highlights the role that glass has in the choice for quality, as it guarantees consumers wellbeing and food safety, while also providing elegance and long life. At the same time, it also makes and important contribution in saving the resources of our planet, for the benefit of future generations.”
Marketing Director of UNES, Paolo Paronzini, explains the choice of partnering with Verallia: “We were looking for a partner for the production of glass bottles with the eco-sustainable logo of UNES – ECOU! – which believed in the same values that are at the base of our brand, which are respect for the environment and the aim of promoting eco-sustainable consumption. When we found out about Verallia’s eco-oriented policies, it was evident that it was the ideal partner for the development of this project.”
UNES was founded in Milan in 1967 by a group of businessmen, and now has more than 300 supermarkets and stores in Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia Romagna. The company has 2,300 employees, and had a gross turnover of EUR 818 million in 2012, with growth of 16.5% compared to the previous year.
Verallia is the brand that groups together the activities of Saint-Gobain in the sector dedicated to container glass. In Italy, Verallia operates six production units involved in the design and manufacture of glass containers and bottles, with 1,115 employees. In 2011, production of these units totalled 3.2 billion containers, with more than 60% coming from 600,000 tons of recycled glass.