ITALY – European wines e-label platform U-Label has collaborated with Italy-based Giunko to provide customers access to digital information about product packaging and recycling in Italy from next year.
From 1 January 2023, wines and spirits placed on the Italian market will be obliged to inform consumers about the identification and classification of the product packaging, i.e., the nature of the packaging materials used and their disposal.
Italian authorities allow producers to convey this information digitally via an e-label, accessible by scanning a QR code on the bottle with a smartphone.
Under the partnership, the U-label Platform will provide a single QR code on the bottle that features both the nutrition declaration and list of ingredients and the disposal information of all packaging components provided by the Junker App developed by Giunko.
Since rules on waste sorting change from city to city in Italy, the QR code will provide geo-localized information for each product in order to convey the correct information everywhere to consumers who are in Italy.
Commenting on the integrated e-label offer by U-Label & Giunko, Ignacio Sanchez Recarte, Secretary General of CEEV said: “This is an important step in expanding and scaling up our e-label offer.
“For the first time, consumers can benefit from an integrated digital labeling solution that provides both information on the nutritional content and ingredients of a product while also giving them tailored information about the recycled content, correct disposal and potential re-use of the packaging materials used.”
Ulrich Adam – Director General of spiritsEUROPE – added: “EU digital labeling rules for wines and the Italian legislation on digital packaging information show that e-labels work and are here to stay.
“We call on the European Commission to allow and regulate digital labels for all food and drink products in the upcoming proposal for a Regulation on Food Information to Consumers.
“In addition, we call on the EU Members States to follow the Italian example and allow for the use of digital labeling solutions to provide product-specific packaging and recycling information to consumers.”
Meanwhile, in June Pernod Ricard revealed its digital-label system, designed to improve the company’s transparency on product content and health information.
According to Pernod Ricard, the digital-label system was rolled out as a European pilot program in July, which will be followed by a global launch across all brands in Pernod Ricard’s portfolio by 2024.
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