The makers of the Packaging Valley Podcast "VERPACKT UND ZUGEKLEBT" get to the heart of the major issues in the circular economy for packaging in 25 minutes. Presenter Silas Fürstenberger's sparring partner is circular economy expert Andreas Kappel, who works as Head of Commercial Development at Green Dot in Cologne.
In an entertaining and informative way, the listeners learn why and how the Green Dot in Germany has led to the implementation of the circular economy for used sales packaging and what the situation is like in other EU countries. Critical issues are not left out, optimisation potentials are explored and the recycling market is evaluated.
Another focus is on national and EU packaging legislation. The German Packaging Act and the European Packaging Regulation (PPWR), which is currently being drafted, will set the trend for the development of the circular economy for packaging in the coming decades. This also includes the establishment of criteria for sustainable, recycling-friendly packaging.
Andreas Kappel, who in his function at Green Dot is also responsible for its Design4Recycling service and intensively follows national and European packaging legislation, points out in the podcast that you would not necessarily be able to tell by looking at a package what kind of behaviour it displays in the sorting or recycling plant. His example: the non-collection of carbon-coloured, black plastic packaging in the sorting plant. To prevent such results, Green Dot offers the assessment of a packaging's recyclability with the CHIRA programme of the Green Dot partner cyclos- H T P . For Andreas Kappel, there is no question that packaging recycling is worthwhile. However, according to his assessment, in the medium term it will not be possible to use recycled plastics from mechanical recycling for food packaging; chemical recycling is needed for this.
An important message for the audience from the packaging machinery industry: recycling does not work without cooperation. Green Dot itself often relies on project groups with producers, packaging manufacturers and plant engineers when it comes to using recyclates from Green Dot in plastic applications.
Listen to the whole interview here (only in German):