The 15th German Packaging Congress was held as a virtual event for the first time. The companies in the industry are pulling in the same direction in their fundamental endeavours to achieve greater sustainability, a circular economy and recycling.
Over 350 participants attended the first virtual German Packaging Congress organised by the German Packaging Institute (dvi), which took place under the motto „No lockdown for sustainability and innovation“. Numerous opinion leaders and leading figures from business, politics and NGOs presented not only well-founded positions and opinions, but also argued together about solutions, strategies and ways for even more sustainability and circular economy for packaging.
„Despite all the differences in the strategies pursued and the favoured solutions, many similarities emerged at the same time. It became clear that there is no single, blissful packaging material for packaging manufacturers, brand companies or retailers. We need the whole range of materials for the immense and heterogeneous variety of products“ Kim Cheng, dvi Managing Director
The principle of the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - is firmly anchored in the industry's strategies. „Companies are pulling in the same direction in their fundamental endeavours to achieve greater sustainability, a circular economy and recycling. What is often missing is planning security, also due to a lack of political courage,“ says Cheng. This is clear, for example, when it comes to the use of recyclates. „We are already much further ahead technologically than the political statements suggest. For example Recyclate with Foodgrade not a material problem, but an authorisation problem."
Market incentives desired
It is also incomprehensible why policymakers have failed to implement the explicitly desired use of more recyclate. with market incentives. In general, the industry would like to see more information and scientific rigour in public debates. „Up-to-date life cycle assessments are urgently needed in order to make the right decisions and promote the most sustainable solutions. We need holistic steps and the Companies in the sector are more than willing to. With their numerous innovations, they lay the foundation for this day after day.“
That the Sustainability innovations relating to packaging reach consumers, proves a Representative survey, conducted by the dvi directly before the congress. At 44.0 per cent, around half of those surveyed confirmed that packaging has made clear progress in terms of environmental friendliness over the past two to three years, with only 15.7 per cent seeing a setback. At 74.6 per cent, three out of four respondents also confirm that this progress has been achieved without compromises or even with advances in functionality and convenience.
German Packaging Congress with a varied programme
In addition to the central topics of sustainability, recycling and the circular economy, which were debated in panels with leading representatives from companies such as Tetra Pak, Mondi, Werner & Mertz, Nestlé, Schwarz Group, FRoSTa, DSD, Procter & Gamble, BASF, Gerolsteiner, Siegwerk and Limburger Blechwarenfabrik with NGOs such as NABU, WWF and the environmental activist Hannes Jaenicke as well as representatives of the Bundestag and the Ministry of Economics, the German Packaging Congress also offered excursions on „Mind Change at all levels“, the Use of social media for company growth, artificial intelligence and the importance of industry trends.
The first virtual German Packaging Congress was supported by Mitsubishi Electric, Stora Enso, DSD and FACHAPCK. The recordings of the numerous, partly parallel sessions of the industry summit are available to all participants and members of the dvi via the homepage of the German Packaging Institute for in-depth study and follow-up.
Source: dvi
