Future Resources 2018: Advancing the solutions for a comprehensive packaging cycle

Cologne/Frankfurt. At the “Future Resources 2018” conference which took place today in Frankfurt am Main, some 120 experts from the retail trade and the packaging and recycling industries discussed sustainable solutions for the packaging of tomorrow. The outcome of the second conference to be jointly hosted by the environmental services provider Interseroh and the Deutsche Verpackungsinstitut e.V. (dvi): the recycling capability of packaging needs to be further improved so as to bring about a comprehensive closed-loop circulation. Only when all the participants in the value chain support the appropriate concepts will it be possible to achieve better recycling rates and to fulfil the requirements of the new German Packaging Act.

Speaking at the conference, Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH, explained the steps that the sector can now take: “Packaging which fulfils its functions in the areas of product protection and marketing, but which is also made from just one raw material, would be an optimum solution for a high quality and efficient form of recycling. Composite packaging made from several plastic types is poorly suited to the mono-fraction separation of waste. The German Packaging Act has increased the pressure on product and packaging manufacturers to apply superior solutions in this area.”

“Ensuring the recycling capability of packaging is no longer voluntary, it is obligatory – and it applies to the manufacturers of packaging, designers, retailers and those responsible for the recycling alike,” emphasized Winfried Batzke, Managing Director of the dvi. “Therefore, discussions between the various players about the challenges and definitive solutions are all the more important. We are delighted to have been able to further strengthen our constructive discussions on the occasion of this year’s Future Resources conference.”

Manufacturers of consumer goods also used the platform, and spoke in favour of a more sustainable use of packaging. “It is necessary for us to reduce our use of plastic packaging and the huge amounts of plastic waste that we produce,” explained Konstantin Bark, Director of Communications at Unilever in Germany. “Reducing the quantities of plastic packaging is the first key step. We will also make packaging recyclable and close the cycle of reusable materials.”

Dr. Martin Schlummer of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV explained how the recycling capability of sales packaging can be measured and assessed. Presentations by high profile speakers including Michael Brandl, Managing Director of the German Association for the Carton Packaging of Liquid Foods, and Thomas Reiner, CEO of Berndt & Partner, resulted in further discussions. Further information about the conference is available at www.future-resources.de.

About the Deutsche Verpackungsinstitut e.V. (dvi):

The Deutsche Verpackungsinstitut e.V. (dvi) is the only network of the German packaging industry, which unites companies of all stages of the value chain as members. The dvi supports the transfer of know-how and promotes the dialogue between its more than 230 member companies, institutions and parnters. It is a platform for information, insights, inspiration and exchange in the field of packaging. You can find more information about dvi at www.verpackung.org.

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