Dieter Pfaff

This change is demonstrated particularly clearly in the design of packaging. Up until now, lots of packaging has been developed primarily by considering technical, logistical or marketing aspects. In the future, developers will also need to consider the impact their solutions have on recycling processes. Combinations of materials, coatings, adhesives or composite structures will be subjected to greater scrutiny if they compromise the recyclability of a packaging product. This means that the principle of “design for recycling” is set to become much more important. “In the future, packaging development will need to examine to a much greater extent whether the choice of material and design are compatible with the requirements of the PPWR in the long term,” says Wollny. The packaging of the future will therefore be developed not just with production plants and retail shelves in mind. It also needs to fit into and work in sorting plants, recycling processes and material cycles.

Another key component of the PPWR is avoiding packaging waste. The regulation calls for packaging to be reduced to the level that is actually necessary. This means there will be increasing pressure to avoid empty space, unnecessary amounts of material or oversized packaging solutions. This will also primarily have an impact on companies’ economic considerations. Less material means fewer resources being consumed, lower transport weights and in the long term potentially lower costs within the waste disposal and take-back systems of the future. This will present new opportunities for packaging solutions that use materials efficiently. Solutions like the Next Generation Products from Progroup follow precisely this approach: reducing the use of materials and at the same time meeting the highest requirements for stability, performance and technical specifications. “The less material can be used with comparable properties, the better the conditions will often be when you consider the future requirements of the PPWR,” explains Wollny.

In addition to recyclability, there is also increasing focus on making use of recycled materials. For plastic packaging in particular, the regulation makes provision for binding minimum quantities of recycled material in the future. This will significantly increase the demand for high-quality post-consumer recycled materials. This also raises the question of whether sufficient quantities of these materials will actually be available. There is already a great deal of discussion in the industry today about whether it will be possible to provide the necessary quantities of recycled plastic materials to meet the envisaged quotas. The availability of suitable secondary raw materials could thus develop into a crucial competitive factor. This presents additional opportunities for fibre-based packaging. Paper-based solutions already have established collection and recycling structures and can be returned to existing material cycles relatively easily. However, here too the starting points in the EU member states are very different. Whereas some countries already have highly efficient collection, sorting and recycling systems, others are still very much at the early stage of developing this infrastructure. At the same time, there are significant differences in packaging habits, the use of materials and infrastructures. “The regulation creates a joint framework,” says Wollny. “But whether the targets can be achieved within the envisaged time frames will also depend on how quickly the necessary infrastructure is established and developed.” Then there is also another challenge: A number of delegated legislative acts that are intended to specify key requirements are still pending. This means that many companies are having to make decisions today even though key details have not yet been finalised.

The regulation enhances the responsibility of the people who design packaging and place it on the market. At the same time, the demand for information about materials, ingredients, recyclability and recirculation is growing. This means that brand owners, retailers, packaging manufacturers, material suppliers and recyclers all need to work together more closely than before. “In future, the ideal packaging will no longer be created in isolation,” says Pfaff. “It will be created by much closer engagement throughout the value chain.” Packaging will thus increasingly become a joint task. Many companies are still at the start of this process. The next few months and years will initially be defined by the process of implementing the new requirements. Compliance therefore remains a key topic. But any company that views the PPWR solely as a regulatory obligation will come up short. The regulation defines the rules of the game for the packaging world of tomorrow. It will change the way that packaging is developed. It will influence decisions about which materials are used. It will strengthen the circular economy and the efficient use of resources. And it will open up new opportunities for innovative solutions that use materials efficiently. Or as Romy Wollny puts it: “It won’t work without change.”