Collaborating with Forum Rezyklat to advance packaging recyclability

With the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) around the corner, and its sweeping new requirements related to packaging sustainability, players in the packaging ecosystem are increasingly looking to collaborate to ensure that the regulation results in concrete, positive change.

For example, we are part of Forum Rezyklat, an alliance of more than 70 organizations from across the entire packaging value chain in Germany. Its members share the aim of helping increase the recycling rate and recycled content in packaging by raising awareness and developing consumer-centric and practical recyclable packaging solutions.

Forum Rezyklat’s recent general meeting was hosted at our Label and Packaging Materials office in the Netherlands. It brought together around 140 experts from the alliance, ranging from leading German recyclers and EPR systems to packaging component suppliers, consumer brands, and leading retailers. During the meeting we discussed progress the Forum is making toward building a sustainable packaging value chain, next steps, and ways to further accelerate change.

The meeting's agenda kicked off with a welcome from our SVP and General Manager, Steve Flannery, followed by updates on our sustainability goals and projects from our Director Strategy & Sustainability, Alena Maran, and a showcase of our innovation capabilities from our VP Global R&D and Sustainability, Pascale Wautelet.

After that, the alliance’s various workstreams presented their latest outcomes and recommendations. For example, the Digitization workstream discussed how they are driving standardization of packaging data among producers and developing tools that make reporting, analysis, and change management easier, and the need for new data models that automatically provide dynamic packaging information.

Meanwhile, the Technology & Recyclability workstream covered various ongoing initiatives to improve recycling process technology and the recyclability of packaging entering the recycling stream. They also presented and evaluated new sorting technologies and their capabilities. The workstream’s goal is to inform and give recommendations for the overall Design for Recycling guidelines in Germany.

Finally, the End User Communication workstream addressed one of the biggest challenges the circular economy faces: the lack of consumer awareness about how to properly use waste collection bins, which results in large amounts of waste ending up in the wrong recycling stream. The Forum agreed to significantly invest into education programs at primary schools, which have proven to be effective in recent pilots.

From an Avery Dennison perspective, the key takeaways from the meeting are:

• The key to a functioning circular economy for packaging is the creation and exchange of relevant packaging data between stakeholders across the value chain. Intelligent labels can make this exchange of data automatic and user-friendly and provide new insights that accelerate progress.
  
• There was much uncertainty about the PPWR and its translation into actionable law. The only way to avoid a patchwork of national recycling solutions is agreement between the European Parliament and EU countries on the PPWR’s terms and how it will actually be implemented. Players from across the packaging value chain must engage with regulators to ensure that PPWR's requirements are as science-based and easy to implement as possible.
  
• There was a lot of interest in learning more about the role self adhesive label materials can play in enhancing packaging recyclability, and the meeting was a great opportunity for us to share our expertise and for all stakeholders to exchange ideas and find solutions.

All in all, the meeting made for an informative day full of insights and exciting findings and a great opportunity to strengthen the relationships within the alliance and accelerate our progress toward a circular economy for packaging.

If you would like to learn more about Forum Rezyklat, visit their website. To learn more about Avery Dennison’s sustainable labeling solutions, visit our site.