Inauguration WESSLING GreenLab

8 Oct 2020

WESSLING inaugurated its WESSLING GreenLab, a new 70m² laboratory dedicated to tests on the compostability and biodegradability of products.

Inauguration of WESSLING GreenLab — Frédéric JEAMPIERRE, Valentine GERNIGON, and Jean-François CAMPENS from WESSLING France for the inauguration of the new composability laboratory in France

“At first, we will mainly be carrying out compostability tests in the laboratory. This means testing whether materials are capable of being naturally degraded in compost and therefore reintegrated into the earth without having a negative impact on the environment,” explains Valentine GERNIGON, head of the laboratory. At present, the main samples tested are paper food packaging (with or without plastic or paraffin wax paper window), but the WESSLING family business plans to extend the tests to other products, such as cutlery, sachets, mulching film, etc., and in particular to plastic or bio-sourced materials.

“The new laboratory in Isère, France, represents the values of our innovative company. It illustrates our desire to learn and evolve, our partnership approach with our customers and, finally, our sustainable and responsible commitment," explains Jean-François CAMPENS, Country Manager of WESSLING France, before concluding: "We are already planning to carry out further analyses and tests in the laboratory to support our customers in their desire to limit their impact on the environment."

The development of this new laboratory in France was encouraged and accelerated by cooperation with the Gault & Frémont group, a French packaging manufacturer for paper, cardboard and baking solutions. Long-time WESSLING partner, the Gault & Frémont group (made up of the companies Montgolfier, Intersac and Emballages du Dauphiné), sought to have its packaging products analysed and tested in France by a qualified company convinced of the importance of such a project. WESSLING, having already started activities in the field, turned out to be the ideal partner. Together the two companies have worked quickly to set up the laboratory and the tests in order to offer new biodegradable packaging products that can be composted at home.