It was in 2006 when Laser Food, a company located in the Science Park of the University of Valencia, began to develop Natural Branding technology, an industrial alternative to the traditional labeling of fruits and vegetables that do not require any type of input.
Its technology consists of making a permanent laser mark on the skin of the piece to be identified, which makes it possible to dispense with auxiliary materials such as plastic, ink, glue or paper. Through this innovative system, "Laser Food contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of labels by 99.9%," says Jaime Sanfelix, CEO of the company.
Due to the usefulness of its technology and its commitment to the environment, Natural Branding has received the 'Solar Impulse' seal, promoted by the Solar Impulse Foundation and the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions, a global alliance that brings together the world's leading companies, as well as the world's main public institutions and various NGOs. This distinction recognizes it as "one of the 1,000 efficient solutions in the world," according to the organizers.
For Jaime Sanfelix, "this seal is a great recognition of the company's track record of innovation in the field of environmental improvement. At Laser Food we not only improve processes in the industry to which we provide our solution, but we also do it with a clean and environmentally efficient technology. That is the importance of this seal and what it recognizes".
Laser Food's solution aims to reduce the amount of paper and plastic waste generated by the agri-food sector by eliminating adhesive labels on fruits and vegetables, as well as plastic packaging of these products. In addition, "the cost of labeling 1,000 pieces of fruit with Natural Branding is 0.5€, that is, 0.0005€ per piece, so this technology, in addition to being sustainable, is also affordable," he points out.