Anja Siegesmund leaves the BDE
Change of leadership at the BDE: Executive President Anja Siegesmund hands over her office to Vice President Matthias Harms on 31 January 2026.
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According to an international study on sustainable packaging conducted by global packaging, product and materials testing company Industrial Physics, almost half of the 255 packaging professionals surveyed worldwide (49 per cent) cite compliance with testing standards as one of the biggest challenges to the wider adoption of sustainable packaging materials.
According to the study, almost three quarters of respondents (71 per cent) also stated that they found the quality control procedures for sustainable packaging materials to be „considerably more difficult“ or „somewhat more difficult“.
Supply bottlenecks complicate procurement
For 69 per cent of respondents, the biggest challenge in the supply chain when switching to sustainable packaging is cost. The supply bottlenecks caused by the pandemic on a global level have made procurement more difficult and there is still the problem of legacy issues, so that several suppliers are often required instead of a single trustworthy provider. This increases the pressure on quality control procedures and the need to verify packaging integrity.
„Our study has shown that manufacturers face a number of risks. However, these risks can be recognised and mitigated by working with a partner for packaging testing and integrity solutions„, says Jim Neville, Managing Director at Industrial Physics.
Laws make conversion necessary
The results of the in-depth study, which involved companies from around the world with a turnover of over £1bn, follow the Extended Producer Responsibility (extended producer responsibility) and other laws in the UK, Europe and the USA, that levy a tax on plastic packaging, that are made, imported or filled with less than 30 per cent recycled plastic.
Industrial Physics offers a range of packaging, product and material integrity testing solutions for the food and beverage, flexible packaging, medical, pharmaceutical and coatings markets. The full results can be found in the „Sustainable Packaging Research Survey“ study report on sustainable packaging published by Industrial Physics on 8 March 2022.
Source: Industrial Physics
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