science, realisation, inspiration

The societies of the European Union are on track to become a "Circular Economy". The transformation away from an economy based on a linear understanding in handling resources over to a circular economy will change all industries. In accordance with the European Green Deal, the resources available to us are to be kept in the cycle as long as possible.

A particular focus is being placed on packaging materials in this connection, because they can have a huge impact on the environment. They belong to the commodities for which the most primary resources are implemented. Furthermore, if disposed of incorrectly packaging causes different environmental problems, such as littering for instance.

For this reason, a number of disposable items made of plastic were banned in the EU in mid-2021. The industry and consumers should prepare themselves for further measures.

Partners from the sections Research (Sustainable Packaging Institute SPI), brand strategy for sustainable packaging design (pacoon Sustainability Concepts) and the future agency that specialises in sustainable materials, Haute Innovation, have been won over for the Sustainable Packaging Special Show - Science, realisation, inspiration. The theme is underpinned by the current survey DLG-Insights Sustainable Packaging 2024: Consumers, labelling, strategies for food & beverages.

The Sustainable Packing Institute (SPI) is a specialised institute of the University of Albstadt-Sigmaringen, which specialises in sustainable packaging systems. It has set itself the mission of providing competent and holistic support to all players of the packaging sector across the entire value chain on their way towards a more sustainable, circular bioeconomy. Here the SPI concentrates on the six theme areas: Biogienic raw materials, process technology and process design, functional materials, smart packaging (alternative and intelligent packaging), preservation and packaging as well as bioeconomy and sustainability.

The SPI's main aim is to protect packaged goods, because for instance more resources are implemented in food than in the packaging itself and these resources have to be saved. An adequate food protection is not only ethical and ecologically sensible here, it is also economically advantageous and ultimately leads to the reduction of food waste.

There is currently the need for more intensive research and development into packaging with optimal functionality and its recyclability. SPI is working on this in its in-house physical/chemical laboratory and technical centre that are fitted with modern equipment, always in compliance with the food regulations and economic competitiveness. The goals are to be achieved through national and international projects in cooperation with different partners (industry partners as well as other research institutes). The achievements within the current as well as completed projects will be interactively presented at the Sustainable Packaging Special Show.

Using a structured decision tree, the relevant decision-making levels in choosing the right packaging can be discussed with pacoon sustainability concepts (Sustainable packaging (pacoon.de)). Staying on the topic of sustainability, we will also provide you with simple, step-by-step instructions of how to call up the sustainability report (CSRD). Fibre packaging remains to be a preferred and in many respects future-looking packaging material. We are presenting many samples of fibre-based packaging on the special zone which can be examined and touched.

Companies from the sweets industry that want to use the transformation proactively as a chance for creating innovations will benefit from growth opportunities on the market. Some of the latest developments here demonstrate the way towards a bio-circular packaging industry. Whether cellulose or polyhydroxyalkanoates, the future belongs to packaging systems that present all the necessary characteristics of a protective case and which can ideally be fed back into the cycle after use - i.e. a perfect circular bioeconomy. Wide-reaching potential is predicted for innovations at the interface between biology and technology. "Biocircular packaging for the sweets industry" will be curated by Haute Innovation and presented on the special zone.