The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has published new figures on Generation and utilisation of wastepackaging waste in Germany in 2020 was published. The coronavirus pandemic led to a slight overall decline in packaging consumption.
While plastic packaging recorded a decline in volumes for the first time in 2019, their use increased by 1.2 per cent in 2020. The IK Industrial Association for Plastic Packaging adopts the new UBA figures to emphasise the unity of product and packaging.
„The new UBA figures raise awareness of the quantities of waste that each of us generates on average - in addition to the recycling rates, these are important results of the study - also for us as an industry. However, we believe it is fair and appropriate, as a result of the publications not to look down on the quantities of waste. Simply leaving out the packaging does not make our consumption more sustainable; in fact, the opposite is usually the case. After all, the environmental impact of the product is usually many times greater than that of the packaging. From an environmental perspective, investing in protective packaging is also worthwhile.“ Mara HanckerIK Managing Director
As already analysed in a GVM study commissioned by the German Packaging Institute (dvi), The changed and increasing consumption is driving the volume of packaging. „If we were to consume the same number of products today as we did 30 years ago, we could do without 1.7 million tonnes of packaging every year,“ says Mara Hancker, quoting the results of the GVM study. Over the same period, however, plastic packaging has also become significantly more efficient and have counteracted the volume increases with considerable material savings.
Also on the occasion of the Action week against food waste the association is in favour of a holistic view of consumption, product, packaging and their environmental and climate impact. „Packaging should be recyclable and recycled even more, but it is not produced as waste. They fulfil important protective functions that we should value much more - also by using them responsibly. Of course, this also applies to their use and, for example, a rethink of to-go consumption,“ says Mara Hancker.
Source: IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. (Industrial Association for Plastic Packaging)
