As part of the RISA (Rome International Schools Association) campaign to reduce plastic consumption in our everyday lives, Grade 5 from Castelli International School decided to target a popular snack, ABC della Merenda, produced by Parmareggio SpA.

Even though the snack is generally considered to be a healthy one, in their analysis pupils  identified its negative environmental impact, due to the amount of plastic used in the packaging.

Having examined the packaging, the class went on to do some research into possible alternatives. As well as substituting plastic for paper, they also found some biodegradable products suitable for the food industry.

At this point each child wrote a letter, in English and in Italian, to try to persuade Parmareggio to rethink their packaging for this product.

Read two of the letters

So what happened next?

A month later Grade 5 received a detailed and cordial letter congratulating the class on their active interest in the environment, responding to all their questions and taking up some of their suggestions.

Ciao ragazzi e ragazze, innanzitutto vi ringraziamo per averci scritto e ci complimentiamo per il vostro impegno e la sensibilità che dimostrate nei confronti dell’ambiente e dei rischi che la nostra terra corre ogni giorno

They also told us that the technology used in their factories aims to reduce the amount of plastic produced and that since July 2019 they have been collaborating with a company that recycles the plastic in this product.

Parmareggio assured us that the plastic straw would be changed to a paper one and research is being done to reduce the thickness of the plastic container and to use more sustainable alternatives in the packaging.

To their delight, Grade 5 have been asked to take part in their project test pack which will be in production soon!

Nel ringraziarvi nuovamente per il vostro suggerimento, vi confermiamo che abbiamo già inoltrato la segnalazione alle funzioni competenti, che ne terranno sicuramente conto in fase di aggiornamento del packaging e nelle prossime produzioni.

As you can imagine, the class are very excited about the development of this project and have learned a valuable lesson in how even small actions can contribute to saving our planet.