MILAN – On summer weekends, an initiative promoted by the Sanpellegrino Group comes to life through the brand Levissima, designed to encourage differentiated waste collection in the areas dedicated to street food for Expo in Città. The project was sponsored by the City of Milan and is organized in partnership with AMSA, which is entrusting a group of its operators with the management of eco-friendly cargo bikes that were hand-crafted by the Italian company Taurus and stylized by a group of students from the European Institute of Design.
Expo in Città
Street food, gourmet stalls, food trucks, travelling events: these are just a few of the components of Expo in Città, which will bring many delicacies to be enjoyed on the go through the streets of Milan from late June to late September. It will be an informal, but nonetheless rewarding way to experience food of extremely high quality. Starred chefs, as well as artisans, offer their specialities in the areas dedicated to street food during the Expo in Città: starting at the Expo Gate in Piazza Castello, moving through Corso Garibaldi and finishing in Corso Como.
Sustainability Objective
In addition to the great food, concepts of sustainability will also be presented throughout the City of Milan during these months which, as mentioned in the Expo 2015 guidelines, will include the type of packaging used and will limit the amount of waste produced and promoting the differentiated collection of materials. The Sanpellegrino Group has always been involved in packaging solutions which combine safety and environmental sustainability, while fully embracing the philosophy that "bottles represent a safe of mineral water, because they bring this valuable resource to the tables of consumers in its pure form, exactly as it was at the source. To meet such needs, the materials we use most to bottle the mineral water is PET: safe, lightweight plastic which is 100% recyclable and which can be used again if recycled correctly!" explains Stefano Agostini, President and CEO of the Sanpellegrino Group.
The cargo bike
To promote this important cycle, the Sanpellegrino Group has used the mineral water brand Levissima to promote an initiative sponsored by the City of Milan and organized in partnership with AMSA. Urban sanitation companies are given eco-friendly cargo bikes, hand-crafted by the Italian company Taurus, which will be equipped with two baskets for differentiated collection: yellow for plastics and cans, and green for glass. On summer weekends from late June to late September they will traverse the streets between Piazza Castello, Corso Garibaldi , and Corso Como to make differentiated collection of waste possible, including outside of the home, thus giving new life to the materials and making the city cleaner and more inviting.
Collaboration with Amsa
"Amsa is actively involved in all initiatives designed to encourage the recovery of recyclable waste" - says Emilia Rio, President of the Amsa Group A2A." We especially liked the idea of the Sanpellegrino Group to provide cargo bikes equipped with baskets so that they can contribute to the collection of recyclable materials in the central areas of Milan where the events of the Expo in Città will be held. Our operators riding the cargo bikes will be prepared to raise awareness and to provide explanations to the public about differentiated collection, in line with the mission of protecting the environment".
A Valuable Partnership
"I'm grateful to Sanpellegrino and Amsa for this beautiful project which will allow for an activity currently done in the homes of citizens with great care and respect for the environment to be performed on the streets as well – says Pierfrancesco Maran, Mobility and Environmental Advisor for the City of Milan – Differentiated collection in Milan sits around 55%, a figure which puts us on top with other great European cities, along with Vienna. Initiatives such as this provide experience with differentiation, including different and innovative methods, as well as raising the awareness of both the Milanese as well as the tourists visiting the Expo".
The creativity of young people
The Sanpellegrino Group has also involved the IED, European Institute of Design, in this campaign to raise awareness. In a creative session, students taking courses in Product Design, Illustration and Animation, and Graphic Design worked on the concept of differentiated collection and the recycling of materials, focusing their attention on the notion of on the go consumption which is particularly relevant to young people. They have given free reign to their talent and creativity to make the campaign even more impactful and to customize the cargo bikes with graphics and educational messages, while at the same time making them engaging. The creative proposal that won over the jury (which consists of IED professors and representatives of AMSA and the Sanpellegrino Group) was conceived by Zala Vrbek, who received a scholarship in recognition of the commitment and important contribution made.
After the Expo
The project will be continued. The Sanpellegrino Group, upon completion of the cargo bike collection activities, will make a donation to the City of Milan for the preparation of a green area in the city, as well as objects of public utility made strictly from recycled PET. All citizens can therefore rest assured that, thanks to their contributions, the PET collected will become a real asset to the community.
