{"id":116033,"date":"2026-05-08T12:23:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?post_type=vimeo-video&p=116033"},"modified":"2026-05-12T07:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T05:18:12","slug":"the-packaging-matrix-how-packaging-sustainability-is-really-assessed-henning-h-sittel-efficiency-agency-nrw-interpa","status":"publish","type":"vimeo-video","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/vimeo-video\/die-verpackungsmatrix-wie-verpackungsnachhaltigkeit-wirklich-bewertet-wird-henning-h-sittel-effizienz-agentur-nrw-interpa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Packaging Matrix \u2013 How Packaging Sustainability is Truly Assessed: Effizienz-Agentur NRW | interpack 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201eSustainable packaging\u201c is a frequently quoted but often weak assertion. At interpack 2026, Henning H. Sittel from the Effizienz-Agentur NRW (efa) will explain how the packaging matrix as a power app offers companies a structured path from buzzword to measurable evaluation.<\/p>\n

From Buzzword to Indicator Assessment<\/h3>\n

\u201eAs the requirements for sustainability reporting grow, so too do the demands for measurability of sustainability,\u201c explains Sittel. \u201eEspecially in the area of packaging, the statement \u201aSustainable Packaging\u2018 suggests a lot, but often says very little of substance.\u201c The approach of an indicator assessment is not new, but the holistic nature that the efa-Power app enables *is* new.<\/p>\n

The evaluation matrix was developed in 2021 within a value chain network comprising approximately 15 companies from the food industry. In the context of the research project Prosperkolleg, the University of Applied Sciences Ruhr West provided scientific supervision, validated the results, and assessed their applicability. The outcome is a matrix with indicators in the key areas of product protection, circularity, environment, plant utilisation, and communication.<\/p>

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How the Power App works in practice<\/h3>\n

Since Autumn 2023, the evaluation has been running as a Power App and is being tested in practice. \u201eThe new Power App is intuitive and easy to understand\u201c, says Sittel. \u201eSupported by the EFA, company representatives are guided through the evaluation process and receive the results of the packaging analysis clearly summarised in written documentation at the end.\u201c Up to 45 indicators in the five core areas can be included.<\/p>\n

Crucially, the ability to provide a quantitative assessment alongside a qualitative evaluation is important. \u201eThis is highly significant with regard to available figures, data, and facts for validating the statements made.\u201c Over 40 packaging material analyses have already refined the indicator profile \u2013 and thus not only deliver an evaluation result, but also open questions and concrete proposals for action as a basis for the next steps.<\/p>