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Gunda Rachut, Central Agency Packaging Register Foundation
There are many important topics, but also many interesting people in the packaging industry. We introduce them to you in our new video talk format. Exciting conversations at best, always guaranteed to be "packaging" conversations.
Today: Gunda Rachut, Director of the Central Agency Packaging Register Foundation. After two years of the Packaging Act in Germany, it's time to take stock. What went well? Where is there a need for improvement and what role does the coronavirus pandemic play?
As a lawyer, you know your way around the law. Now your work is primarily concerned with the Packaging Act. Which paragraph is your favourite? The 24th, the 26th or rather the 28th?
(Laughs) All of them. But I will say this: Of course, the topic of ecological change in packaging is a matter close to my heart. What can we do to make it less, to make it more recyclable, to use recycled material? In other words, to get packaging away from the image that it is all bad. It is absolutely essential. Many things couldn't happen if we didn't have it. But of course it needs a real circular economy.
The Packaging Act has just turned two years old. You recently listed the successes in an initial assessment: More packaging is being recycled, there are many more manufacturers who are fulfilling their product responsibility. Is this because they have to or because they now want to?
Different. I believe that the basic idea that you are responsible for your product because you put it on the market is slowly but surely gaining acceptance and that recycling must also be taken into account. This is common practice for large companies, but it's not so easy for some smaller companies. What do they manage? Do they have their own staff? And that is also the reason why we try to explain it as well as possible, to provide as many working aids as possible.
You're talking about a 13 per cent increase in the amount of packaging recycled, while plastics were recycled 50 per cent more. Is this transformation being slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic?
Firstly, of course, it's a completely different situation for packaging. Due to the fact that catering is not really taking place or there is an increase in working from home, cold stores are empty for months on end. As a result, there has been a sharp decline in the area of bulk consumer packaging, which is perhaps easier to recycle.
Instead, we are seeing strong growth in to-go packaging and household packaging. None of this ends up in an industrial plant, but in the domestic yellow bin. This has also led to a further increase in disposal volumes. However, these are not necessarily quantities that are really easy to recycle.
There is an overall shift from plastic packaging to fibre-based packaging. But if I suddenly have such a shift, i.e. from a material where I have at least controlled a certain amount of recycling capacity to another material where I have not controlled the recycling capacity, then it's not so easy. I'm curious to see what the balance sheet will look like when we get the volume flow statements in June.
There is an overall shift from plastic packaging to fibre-based packaging. But if I suddenly have such a shift, i.e. from a material where I have at least controlled a certain amount of recycling capacity to another material where I have not controlled the recycling capacity, then it's not so easy. I'm curious to see what the balance sheet will look like when we get the volume flow statements in June.
The whole interview in the packaging journal TV Talk
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for this still young year 2021?
Clearly, the recycling-friendly design of packaging is still on the agenda. We are committed to this. I think there is still room for improvement. We have various trends at the moment. This is not necessarily just ecologically driven.
But we also have the anti-plastics directive, which triggers the whole thing to a certain extent. It's still too early to say whether this will always go in the direction of recycling-friendly design. There are a lot of drivers in the packaging market that are not all going in the same direction.
Ultimately, all trends are dictated by the waste hierarchy: avoid, recycle and - only if there is no other option - dispose of. This means looking at how we can bring the tasks we have forward in the discussion. Namely, minimum standards, design for recycling, but also financial support for the use of recyclates in the systems. It has already become more difficult for this due to the oil price. There are many good initiatives and we simply hope that things are moving in the right direction. We will take action and ensure transparency.
But we also have the anti-plastics directive, which triggers the whole thing to a certain extent. It's still too early to say whether this will always go in the direction of recycling-friendly design. There are a lot of drivers in the packaging market that are not all going in the same direction.
Ultimately, all trends are dictated by the waste hierarchy: avoid, recycle and - only if there is no other option - dispose of. This means looking at how we can bring the tasks we have forward in the discussion. Namely, minimum standards, design for recycling, but also financial support for the use of recyclates in the systems. It has already become more difficult for this due to the oil price. There are many good initiatives and we simply hope that things are moving in the right direction. We will take action and ensure transparency.
Because that's what the packaging register does. But you also say that there are weaknesses in the Packaging Act. What are they?
We can clearly see where we have also become active: Of course, we have a classic trend towards more packaging. This is not plastic packaging in general, which is becoming less. But we do have a trend towards to-go. Of course, this is now being pushed even more strongly by corona. Just like the strong trend towards more online retail. Neither of these trends will fully return.
To this end, the legislator has now presented a new packaging law with certain requirements for reusable packaging, including in the out-of-home consumption sector. We have set up two expert groups ourselves. One on service packaging and one on mail order and online retail. We want to see what opportunities there are to improve compliance and really get to the point where the waste hierarchy is better implemented.
The legislator has also introduced new regulations for mail order and online trading. There is to be platform liability for the offering of goods that are now packaged but not registered. So a lot is already happening. The legislator is aware of this and we are now trying to talk to the players about it again. Where are the points that still need to be considered? Do we perhaps need to take action in Chinese? What can we do with the large platform operators? Is there a possibility of cooperation with courier, express and parcel services? These are the levers we can use to move the situation forward a little.
The legislator has also introduced new regulations for mail order and online trading. There is to be platform liability for the offering of goods that are now packaged but not registered. So a lot is already happening. The legislator is aware of this and we are now trying to talk to the players about it again. Where are the points that still need to be considered? Do we perhaps need to take action in Chinese? What can we do with the large platform operators? Is there a possibility of cooperation with courier, express and parcel services? These are the levers we can use to move the situation forward a little.
Where does Germany stand in a European comparison?
What really worries me is that you have to make sure you take the manufacturers with you. We have the great privilege of being in direct contact with many manufacturers. We answered 60,000 enquiries in the first year alone, so we really get to know what drives them. And I sometimes get the impression that Europe is a bit too far away. And results are coming out that are no longer feasible for this large number of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially if every country implements it differently. That worries me a little. I think it's important to keep an eye on this.
Published in packaging journal 1/2021
Also in this issue:
The ongoing trend of sustainability, Special packaging and packaging materials, Packaging with that certain X-tra at Sabeu, Packaging recycling with Holygrail 2.0, Packaging technology: customised drive technology, Networked working in production, Company portrait of Wetropa, Pharmaglas protects coronavirus vaccine, Digital colour systems for packaging printing and much more
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