PLASTIC-FREE OFFICE, THE NEW TREND IS A PERFORMING WATER COOLER

The #plasticfree imperative is with us every day and the world’s media are devoting increasing coverage to sustainability best practice and actions to safeguard the planet.

It’s no longer just our planet – reason enough to act – but also governments and institutions, the young generations and millions of persons throughout the world that are begging us to commit seriously to the fight against plastics. Owing to the Internet, the promoter and promulgator of ideas, we learn that the change is really happening, as 3 major companies like Enel, Sky and RAI tell us. Enel has started up a process for eliminating the use of disposable plastics in offices and production facilities that involves about 26 thousand employees in Italy and starts with the distribution of reusable water bottles.

There will be no more plastic plates, cutlery and straws in supermarkets, bars and vending machines from 2021 onwards. The Enel Group, however, has decided to move even faster and today, on World Environment Day, we launch the project “Zero, verso un mondo senza plastica” (Zero, aiming for a plastic-free world) to accelerate the elimination of single-use plastics in the company before 2021.

The project initially involves the company premises in Rome and then, from mid-October, also those in Milan. By December the project will have been rolled out to include a further 12 large Enel sites (Cagliari, Mestre, Catania Palermo, Taranto, Florence, Naples and Bologna) and then then production plants from 2020 before extending its scope even further to involve our chains of suppliers.

A single employee consumes, on average, 4 to 6 kg of plastic per year. Now, in order to put an end to the use of single-use bottles, every staff member will be given a water bottle made of Tritan, a material that is 100% recyclable, resistant and safe: it contains no bisphenols (BPA and BPS), compounds found in common plastic and suspected of having a damaging effect on the human body. Although not included in the European Union directive, Enel has decided to eliminate single-use plastics from bars, canteens, food outlets and vending machines located on company premises.

Thanks to the Zero project, at the Rome premises alone, we will avoid the release into the atmosphere of almost 64 tonnes of CO2, saving the energy equivalent of 359 barrels of oil and 1925 cubic metres of water per year, roughly the volume required to fill an Olympic swimming pool.

According to a study by Legambiente, Italy leads Europe in the consumption of single-use bottles per person and is in second place worldwide, after Mexico. The European Union directive does not prohibit the sale of these bottles but requests that, by 2029, at least 90% of them will be collected for recycling, with an intermediary target of 77% by 2025. Enel has, however, decided to eliminate them immediately, along with the other single-use plastics: a further step towards sustainability and an indication of how seriously we take our responsibility towards our planet.

 

THE NEW ACQUA ALMA BRAND FOR WATER COOLER AND DISPENSER SOLUTIONS

The Celli Group, with the brand of microfiltered water from the network Acqua Alma, was a partner of the exhibition "Italy of courage. Protagonists of the future" set up on the occasion of the XI National Congress of Legambiente, which was held from 22 to 24 November in Naples and was hosted by the Italian State Railways Foundation at the National Museum of Pietrarsa.

In a completely plastic-free setting, the partnership between Celli and Legambiente envisaged offering microfiltered water to the guests of the Congress and the adjacent exhibition, through Acqua Alma beverage dispensing systems located within the area of the Pietrarsa Museum.

Furthermore, the Group, together with other Italian excellences, participated in the exhibition as an example of a company engaged in the ecological reconversion of the economy.

Mauro Gallavotti, CEO of the Celli Group, spoke on Saturday morning during the panel "Circular and civil: the ecological reconversion of the economy", explaining what Italy needs to accelerate this transition and what critical issues a reality like Celli has to face to reach the sustainability objectives.

Starting from key numbers on water consumption in Italy, which sees us second in the world for bottled water consumption, - says Gallavotti - we commissioned a study from The European House Ambrosetti to assess what the impact would be for the Italian country system if from 95% of bottled water consumption, current level, to a more balanced model with 50% consumption of mains water and the remaining 50% in the bottle: with the increase in the need for technical assistance and maintenance, there would be a gradual increase in jobs in this sector and a reconversion in terms of greater sustainability of the industry would begin.

The same procedure is used by Sky, which installed water cooler machines in its offices in Milan, Rome and Cagliari, in addition to eliminating the plastic packaging from its equipment. Journalists at RAI, the Italian state broadcaster, have launched a campaign on social media to free the broadcaster from plastic.

The #Grr Plastic Free Committee represents 400 journalists, technicians, producers and other staff at RAI and last year it launched an awareness-raising campaign that each Wednesday that inundates the email accounts of top management at RAI with messages. The campaign started in Rome but has gained support from RAI editorial teams throughout Italy and it seems even top management is ready to ring in the changes. In fact, the offices in which very many of us work produce a large amount of plastic waste, normally arising from the consumption of water and coffee: not just the bottles from the dispensing machines but also the disposable cups and stirrers for mixing the beverages.

COSMETAL, THE ITALIAN LEADER OF WATER COOLER EQUIPMENT

The Celli Group, like the important companies mentioned above, has always been committed to a responsible consumption of water fighting against the use of disposable plastics. The water market is constantly growing and it’s highly dynamic, due also to lots of trends related to new lifestyles, such as health, sport, environmental sustainability, customization and digitization. Lately modern consumers tend to drink more water and to pursue healthier habits, but they want to be knowledged about whether the environment conditions are respected and the drink dispensing used is sustainable.

The acquisition of Cosmetal in 2016 marks the beginning of the cultural conversion of drinking water consumption: the production of water cooler dispensers enables a reduction in the consumption of plastic bottles, both at home and in the office, and ensures availability of hot and cold water without compromising on great taste.

An increasing number of companies are thus fighting against the use of single-use plastic, as Sandro Pireddu, Sales Manager Italy of Celli Group explained: “In this first part of 2019 we got confirmation that the consumer revolution is now at a very advanced stage. The sustainability trend in horeca that already started a few years ago is becoming increasingly marked. In other words, the demand for water cooler systems for dispensing filtered water to horeca customers is growing constantly. 

But the sector that is most turning towards sustainability is offices, followed by the home. We have seen a strong move away from bottle dispensers to more sustainable points of use water cooler machines that are connected directly to the mains supply. We are witnessing a sea change in consumption culture where employees ask for sustainability because they are increasingly aware of what they can do to safeguard the planet”.

Consuming dispensed water, whether in the office, at home or outdoors, does not just save on plastic containers, whether they are plastic bottles or dispenser tanks, but like all zero kilometre products, it helps reduce CO2 emissions in the air caused by the transport of bottled water, for example, or the CO2 produced in packaging manufacture.

Further, the vast range of all types of water and beverage dispensing solution offered by Cosmetal enables demand for different types of water to be catered for – cold, sparkling, room-temperature, hot – by suiting all installation needs – floorstanding, top or under the counter – and large or small capacity requirements.

Nowadays, producing a cold water dispenser or cooler means accepting the challenge of providing products more eco-friendly and offering a sustainable disposal of their components. Reducing our environmental impact has always been a priority for Celli since the early ’80s, when Celli became the first Italian company to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons – responsible for ozone depletion – from all cooling circuits.

Celli Group together with Cosmetal and all the other companies of the Group are today even more than before the companies that guarantee the most sustainable drinking experience through beer, soft drink and water cooler solutions.

Cosmetal is actually the largest Italian manufacturer and an international leader in the production of innovative drinking water solutions. Its product range is strictly made in Italy and it’s characterized by being the broadest in the business, both in terms of types of dispensed water and of available models of water cooler systems. All types of bottom loading water cooler, top loading water cooler, bottleless water cooler, water spout, and so on.

While the European water dispenser market is primarily aimed at offices, several years ago Cosmetal set out to develop products for domestic use and in hospitality venues, and thus gained an important competitive edge, particularly in the latter, a market that recorded constant 15% annual growth in the past few years.

From Saturday 18th to Wednesday 22nd January, Cosmetal will be present at the Rimini SIGEP 2020 fair to show its innovations from the last year, both for on-the-go and office consumption, as well as water cooler solutions dedicated to catering, with the Acqua Alma brand - mains water treated with filtering systems to make water good, cool and simple to serve, with a clear vision: drinking responsibly.

Our consumption habits have changed and we are no more “only” consumers, but now we are engaged in a sustainable way as the world that surrounds us. Our search for innovation and comfort finds the right compromise in hot-and-cold-water cooler at home, on-the-go or in office: it doesn’t matter where. The most important thing is reducing plastic waste, finding good customer service that supports us in every step of our path and, of course, great tasting water because this is an important part of a good drinking experience.
The answer is Acqua Alma.

Mineral water, the major accused in the fight against pollution for the massive use of plastic bottles as well as for the impact that transport has on the environment, it’s a symbol of the evolution of consumption, with an almost constant increase in the last 30 years. In Italy, bottled water is increasingly drunk, even where tap water is very good, also thanks to an advertising campaign aimed at extolling the healthy and slimming qualities of the former, often implicitly in contrast with the latter, which is the subject of widespread mistrust. Despite all the exceptions of the case, Italy is in fifth place in Europe for water quality in the aqueduct (source Irsa, institute of the National Research Council responsible for controlling water quality), constantly monitored and sanitized (with chlorine, unpleasant but not harmful). Therefore soliciting the consumption of water is fine, because it is essential for life. But no ambiguity: this applies to all water, even "the mayor's" water.

Acqua Alma is not going to be the only focus product; Cosmetal will also be presenting its new range of intelligent, high-tech, functional solutions to meet all the demands and latest trends in the market, and ready to revolutionise the world of drinking water! The resources of our planet are precious and each of us should be concerned about using and consuming them responsibly. According to the Global Footprint Network, in 2017 we used well over 1.71 of the Earth’s resources in terms of human demand for natural elements such as food, wood, fiber, CO2 and water absorption. This is why the stronghold of our cause is "drink responsibly", because water is such a precious commodity hence it must be treated responsibly.

Acqua Alma is not just a water cooler solution, but most importantly a HOLISTIC SOLUTION, constantly present in our everyday lives: at home, at work, at the gym, at the restaurant, at the airport. In the dedicated section, the user can find out how to have constantly available, good, safe water that is microfiltered by the Cosmetal professional plant.

Cosmetal is the quality of a made in Italy water cooler, for safe and sustainable water.

The production of water cooler systems is 100% Made in Italy and made of stainless steel and high-quality materials.
We boast one of the most extensive ranges in the sector, be it for the types of water supplied - room temperature, cold, hot, sparkling - and for the water cooler models available.

The international vocation, together with the quality of its products, have allowed this artisan company to reach levels of excellence and become the supplier of some of the most important buying groups, both Italian and foreign, for which customized projects are also made.