{"id":726002,"date":"2022-01-02T16:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/?post_type=trend&#038;p=726002"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:58:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:58:27","slug":"design-for-recycling-zirkulaere-lebensmittelverpackungen","status":"publish","type":"trend","link":"https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/en\/insights\/trends\/design-for-recycling-zirkulaere-lebensmittelverpackungen\/","title":{"rendered":"(Design for) Recycling: Circular Packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 id=\"h-echte-kreislaufe-fur-lebensmittel-verpackungen-aus-kunststoff\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">True recycling loops for plastic food packaging.<\/h1>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-serif has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The current legal situation could lead to an EU approval in the near future for post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials made from PE and PP for direct food contact. That would be the necessary step to ensure that optimized sausage packaging, such as the example shown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/trend\/design-for-down-cycling\/\">here<\/a>, could finally be used for sausage packaging again. Thanks to the upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/deutsche-recycling.de\/blog\/eu-verpackungsverordnung\/\">Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation<\/a> (PPWR), we are finally approaching the era of a true circular economy for plastics.  <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1452\" src=\"https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-1920x1452.jpg\" alt=\"Design for Recycling\" class=\"wp-image-3176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-1920x1452.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-960x726.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-768x581.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-1536x1162.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-2048x1549.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-480x363.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2-200x151.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.milk-food.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MILK-MaterialLab-Standard-Materialien-Kunststoff-2.jpg 2560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: MILK.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">With the adoption of the European Packaging Regulation (PPWR), the transformation of the packaging industry has been set in stone. Recycled materials, particularly post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials, are evolving from a sustainable option to a legal standard. The regulation takes a pragmatic approach to the term \u201cPCR\u201d: \u201cPost-consumer\u201d refers to any plastic waste generated after commercial, institutional, or private use, including commercially used transport and retail packaging.    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<h2 id=\"h-companies-to-watch\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-small-font-size\">Companies to watch:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coveris.com\/en\/no-waste\/recover\">Coveris<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agricoat.co.uk\">Greiner Packaging<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.suedpack.com\/de\/nachhaltigkeit\/kreislaufwirtschaft\/einsatz-von-rezyklaten\">S\u00fcdpack<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-serif has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The law requires that, starting in 2030, all plastic packaging must contain a minimum percentage of PCR. The targets vary depending on the material and application: For contact-sensitive packaging, such as food packaging, the requirement for non-PET plastics is 10 percent, while for contact-sensitive PET and single-use beverage bottles, the requirement is as high as 30 percent. These percentages will continue to rise through 2040, depending on the category.    <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The requirements for contact-sensitive packaging are currently the subject of intense discussion within the industry. The biggest challenge for manufacturers and developers will be securing sufficient quantities of high-quality, food-safe material for their products. While established recycling loops exist for PET, the availability of compliant recycled materials made from polyolefins such as PP and PE is severely limited. The existing high-end fractions are already highly competitive. Forward-thinking packaging manufacturers, such as the companies on the watchlist, are already working on solutions for brands. They are relying on recycled materials from both mechanical and chemical processes. Although the latter is energy-intensive to produce, it does not compromise on quality compared to virgin material.        <br\/><br\/>In addition, one must expect aesthetic changes such as cloudiness or slight variations in color. To counteract these visual and quality-related bottlenecks, the value chain must increase investment in modern sorting and decontamination technologies, ensure efficient collection systems, and consistently develop packaging in accordance with the principles of Design for Recycling. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>True recycling loops for plastic food packaging. The current legal situation could lead to an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":625636,"template":"","trend_category":[1212],"trend_status":[3392,3377],"trend_group":[3389],"trend_timeframe":[1211],"class_list":["post-726002","trend","type-trend","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","trend_category-packaging-en","trend_status-design-for-recycling","trend_status-packaging","trend_group-design-for-recycling","trend_timeframe-tomorrow"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>(Design for) Recycling: Circular Packaging - MILK. 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