Finally, true closed-loop systems for plastic food packaging.

We expect EU approval for post-consumer recycled material (PCR) made of PE and PP for direct food contact in the near future. This would be the necessary step so that optimized sausage packaging, as in the example shown here, could finally become sausage packaging again. Thanks to the forthcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), we are finally approaching the age of a truly circular economy for plastics.

Image source: MILK.

Thanks to the final adoption of the PPWR in December 2024, there is no way around PCR. However, the PPWR takes a somewhat “softer” view of the term PCR – any packaging that has been used commercially is considered post-consumer. The regulation stipulates that all packaging containing plastic must contain a minimum percentage of PCR by 2030. The targets vary depending on the type of packaging and material used.

The biggest challenge for manufacturers and developers will then be to obtain sufficient high-quality material for their products. The quality of recyclates currently varies greatly, and the best fractions are already highly competitive. In terms of aesthetics, you have to reckon with changes and visual flaws. To counteract this, investments must be made in modern recycling technologies and efficient collection must be ensured.

However, the design of the products is particularly crucial: only well-designed packaging that prices the recycling of the product can become high-quality recyclates. Design for Recycling is becoming a compulsory program. That is why our customers can use the services of the Innovation Lab for the future right now. 🙂

Our conclusion: PPWR is coming – and with it the upswing in recyclates. We are not afraid of challenges and look forward to a new era of food packaging!