As is so often the case, the simplest solution is not a solution: of course, stretch film could simply be exempted from the PPWR regulations. Unfortunately, this would run completely counter to the ecological intention of the Packaging Ordinance.
However, it is clear that something has to be done. The PPWR stipulates that sales and transport packaging must fulfil certain reusability quotas from 2030 in the interests of sustainability and hopefully even the circular economy. In the B2C sector, this quota will be 40% for the transport unit in most cases from 2030, while in intralogistics or internal logistics, where stretch film is predominantly used, it will be a whopping 100%.
You need to know this: According to the PPWR, these percentages are not calculated on the basis of mass percentages, but on the basis of the individual elements of the transport unit. For example, if such a unit consists of a pallet, stretch film, cardboard boxes and intermediate layers, at least two of these four elements must be reusable in order to achieve the 40%.
In other words, conventional stretch film must disappear from many transport units by 2030. This is because it will probably not be possible to reuse it. "New, PPWR-compliant approaches must therefore be found. These could be fibre-based alternatives, which we have already identified for customers. Or reusable solutions that already exist on the market. There needs to be a rethink about how to securely fasten goods for transport rather than how to make the existing stretch film reusable," says Peter Désilets, Managing Director of Pacoon. Pacoon already tackled this issue last year in a project for a US soft drinks manufacturer. And lo and behold, there were several solutions for the disposable containers used.
Sustainable packaging: in search of ecological alternatives to stretch film
In this industry, there are countless B2B shipments and corresponding use of stretch film. And there is actually already a whole range of PPWR-compliant alternatives. Manufacturers are essentially pursuing three approaches.
Approach #1: Reusable packaging replaces stretch film
One obvious option is to replace the B2B transport unit, which consists of several elements, with a single reusable packaging. One such solution is offered by Munich-based start-up The Ocean Package. The young company produces boxes for e-commerce and transport units that are also suitable for shipping between warehouses and to shops. The plastic boxes from The Ocean Package are stackable, suitable for conveyor belts and can be folded flat. They can be used around 30 to 50 times, are easy to integrate into the packaging processes and the start-up has selected suitable adhesive tapes and labels that can be removed without leaving any residue. Peter Désilets calculates that the benefits are considerable: "With just 4 to 5 cycles, these boxes save costs compared to disposable cardboard packaging, especially if the same customers or shops are always supplied. Instead of disposing of and recycling the cartons, the crates can be collected flat on a pallet and transported back for filling."
The Ocean Package also works with PP recyclates made from ocean plastic and automatically fulfils the requirements for the use of recyclates. At end-of-life, these are also easily recyclable and can be processed into new crates. Peter Désilets is familiar with the approach: "I completed my first internship after graduating at a company in Alsace that worked with just such PP hollow-chamber sheets and is still active today. Even back then, the focus was on reusable industrial packaging. But it was also possible to fulfil anti-static packaging requirements, which is particularly important in the electronics industry. I am therefore delighted to be back in contact with these boxes after more than 30 years in the industry and that they offer a relevant alternative."
Other manufacturers rely on cardboard-based transport packaging. Up to three-layer, robust pallet boxes that fit perfectly on Euro pallets. They are reusable, stackable, automatable and PPWR-compliant. As soon as they are no longer usable, they are disposed of with other cardboard packaging. Other mesh trolleys or boxes will also experience a renaissance.
Approach #2: Is there also sustainable stretch film?
The Solingen-based family business Brangs + Heinrich, for example, takes a different approach. It produces classic packaging films - all of which are recyclable. The PPWR-compliant films are available with different proportions of recycled material made from PIR or PCR regranulates. With "Closed Loop Recycling", the company also offers to collect film waste and use it to produce new plastic films with a high proportion of recycled material.
Alternatively, the films can be produced directly from paper, such as borrmannplus in Lower Saxony. Their StretchPaper is made from 100 per cent PEFC paper, is fully recyclable, biodegradable and suitable for both manual and machine applications. Brangs + Heinrich also offers a similar product in the form of PaperWrap. Mondi also offers this type of wrapping paper and works with machine manufacturers to apply it to industrial packaging systems.
The suppliers are obviously aware of the scepticism they are likely to encounter. Accordingly, they refer to corresponding endurance tests and certifications that make the suitability of their solutions for everyday use credible.
Neenah Gessner also offers a 45 gram thin paper that can be used on standard stretch machines. "We presented this solution at our SOLPACK 6.0 conference for sustainable packaging solutions at FACHPACK 2025. Several companies are already using this special paper," says Peter Désilets.
Approach #3: Environmentally friendly in completely new ways
In 2024, return2sender was launched in the Netherlands with a doubly sustainable innovation. The founders use used big bags, which usually end up in the rubbish bin, to make a cover that is placed over the load stacked on the pallet and secured to the pallet with tensioning straps. The straps also prevent the load from slipping sideways. They are also dimensioned in such a way that they can be adapted to different pallet sizes and load types. The Elvis film, which is certified in accordance with the EUMOS 40509 load security standard, can be used more than 100 times. An impressive example of how packaging can be completely rethought. "These solutions impressively demonstrate how true the saying 'necessity is the mother of invention' is. The industry will find solutions that fulfil the load securing requirements and reduce packaging waste and volumes - exactly what the PPWR aims to achieve," says Désilets.
Conventional stretch films will have a hard time with the PPWR
So there are alternatives, and there are more and more of them. Stretch film has been a component of B2B packaging in particular for so long that thinking about new approaches and solutions has become stunted. If the films are actually excluded from the PPWR regulations, this would be a defeat in which excellent alternatives would fall by the wayside.
Peter Désilets: "We are therefore in favour of retaining the current PPWR requirements for transport units and making an exception in special cases, for example. As part of our customer project, topics such as the transport of goods to Cyprus, the Canary Islands or overseas destinations naturally also came up."
In general, non-EU countries are already endeavouring to adapt to the PPWR requirements. However, as long as it is difficult or makes little ecological sense to bring reusable containers from remote, small markets back into circulation in the EU, the option of ex-EU use with corresponding tracking should also be made possible. Incidentally, the US soft drinks manufacturer launched the reusable transport container project directly in the summer of 2024. Four to five years for a reuse loop is a very short time with all the permits, certificates, digital tracking codes and hygiene certificates for cleaning. "In order to provide assistance here, we have founded the 360Reuse network with partners to cover all services for this challenge in the B2B sector, from analysing the requirements for the right containers for hygiene and shelf life, to digital tracking and hygiene certificates for cleaning, including for halal and kosher products," says Peter Désilets.