A single-use plastics (SUP) tax, minimum recycling quotas, sustainability requirements of brand manufacturers and more – packaging manufacturers are facing enormous challenges because expectations regarding their flexibility and ability to innovate are constantly increasing.

In an interview with Plasteurope.com, Sonja Bähr from Tilisco (Wildeshausen, Germany; www.tilisco.de), a technical consultancy for sustainable packaging solutions, explains what the sector has to prepare for.

PIE: Have plastics packaging manufacturers done their homework when it comes to “design for recycling”?
Sonja Bähr: Yes, flexible packaging manufacturers in particular have been surprisingly quick to add monofilms to their portfolio that run on fillers’ existing machines and are also easy to recycle. Recyclable solutions made of polyethylene and polypropylene are now also available for stand-up pouches.

The same applies to rigid and semi-rigid containers made of polystyrene and PET. In order to be able to measure its recyclability, packaging must always be considered as a whole. Different types of plastics on the front and back, dark plastics dyed all the way through, or a mix of materials all reduce recyclability.

Do you see any need for improvement?
Bähr: Of course, companies still focus too much on their own part of the value chain and often do not have an overview of the entire product. Companies should work together even earlier and cooperate even more. Solutions can then be developed in a more targeted way.

Can you describe a situation where such cooperation would be needed?
Bähr: If, for example, a paper label is applied to a PE film that has been processed into a tubular bag then, no matter how pure and recyclable it was, it’s no longer recyclable. These consequences should be communicated clearly and transparently within the value chain.

An ideal situation would be the use of “universal packaging” that always meets the same specific requirements within certain limits. Such standardisation would facilitate sorting and reprocessing enormously without any loss of function.

What is currently driving brand owners in terms of sustainability?
Bähr: In addition to the availability of individual raw materials and the high energy costs, the greatest challenge at present is to meet the many different legal requirements. Recyclability, use of recyclates, different labelling of packaging for different recycling systems in the various European countries – all of this is an enormous challenge for brand owners.

When the Packaging Act was published at the beginning of 2019, many brand owners had made grandiose promises to put only recyclable packaging on the market by 2025 and reduce use of plastics by at least 30%. They now have to be measured against this, as does the trade sector, which made promises that were just as bold. The reality now is that a switch to other materials is often either too expensive or technically unfeasible.

What influence does the consumer have?
Bähr: The consumer, that mysterious creature... I believe that brand owners, as well as packaging manufacturers, have an obligation today to commit to a real, functioning circular economy. This can also mean preferring to use a functionally and quantitatively optimised plastics solution rather than the paper material desired by consumers according to market research surveys.

And what about the power of the retail sector?
Bähr: At no time is the retail sector willing to pay even a tenth of a cent more for the product and the packaging. The result is that contents are skimped on and the packaging is oversized. A lot of material is wasted here. Sure, there are also the brands and private labels that deliberately use a lot of 'facing' – but if the retail sector were willing to tweak the price, we would have a smaller problem with packaging waste.

Sonja Bähr is a packaging analyst at packaging consultancy Tilisco, which was founded in 2008 by packaging engineer Till Isensee. She specialises in sustainability communications and regulation.