Around a year ago, the switch was flipped in Obernkirchen and the impact has been enormous. Up to 45,000 tonnes of carbon emissions are now saved annually at the German plant of packaging manufacturer Ardagh Group. A reduction of up to 64 per cent.
This is made possible by a change in the production of amber glass bottles. Whereas previously around 90 per cent of process heat was based on gas and ten per cent on electricity, this ratio has now been almost reversed. The NextGen furnace, which will go into operation at the end of 2023, uses hybrid technology: up to 80 per cent of the melting energy will come from electrodes (supplied by renewable energy sources), with the remaining 20 per cent coming from flame radiation. At the same time, Ardagh has significantly increased the proportion of recycled glass used to up to 70 per cent.
Production of green steel extremely accelerated
"There are different approaches to innovation that can lead to transformation in the industry," says Peter Désilets, Managing Director of Pacoon. "This includes process innovation as well as product or service innovation. These can take place in different stages, from incremental innovation to disruptive, architectural and radical innovation - depending on how far the technology or the market has matured."
For example, Chinese researchers have not only succeeded in massively accelerating the iron production process - by a factor of 3,600 - but have also made it significantly more environmentally friendly. In flash ironmaking, finely ground iron ore powder is injected into an extremely hot furnace, which leads to an explosive chemical reaction. The resulting glowing iron droplets can be used directly for steel production.
In Germany, a team from the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials has developed a design strategy that makes it possible to extract, produce, mix and process metals in a single step. Hydrogen is used as the energy source, which avoids CO2 emissions. The bottom line is an energy saving of around 40 per cent.
The electrification of industrial plants is another of numerous approaches to making the packaging industry more environmentally friendly. How effective it can be was the subject of a comprehensive study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI.
The researchers analysed 13 industrial sectors and found that switching from natural gas-fired systems to electricity or hydrogen can be a massive lever, especially in the glass industry: Energy savings of up to 40 per cent are possible here. If you look at the status quo, the potential becomes tangible: The German glass industry consumes around 67,641 TJ of energy per year and emits around 4.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The authors of the study make no secret of the fact that such conversions require high levels of investment. Companies planning something similar also need staying power - and, last but not least, courage: Courage.
PPWR: the EU packaging regulation is putting pressure on us
In many places, the transformation of the industry may be due to genuine concern for the environment - but of course it is also taking place against the backdrop of the European Commission's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The new packaging regulation came into force in January 2025, and it will demand a lot from the industry.
The regulation pursues several goals that must be achieved gradually by 2030 and 2040: To generally reduce packaging and packaging waste along the entire value chain, to substitute single-use packaging with reusable alternatives wherever possible, to standardise national legislation in the member states - but above all to massively increase recycling and drive up the corresponding quotas. This is a goal that cannot be achieved through good collection by consumers alone - the industry is required to improve the recyclability of packaging and at the same time increase the proportion of recycled materials in its products.
How this is to be done in detail is largely up to the industry itself and its innovative strength. Peter Désilets emphasises that the industry has to overcome various challenges: On the one hand, it is about developing solutions that are quickly achievable and fulfil the legal requirements. This is usually done in cooperation with current suppliers. "However, some difficulties have not yet been resolved, such as the use of recycled materials. Other solutions can offer cost benefits, but require development in cooperation between industry and research or with start-ups - this applies in particular to the topic of reusable systems for sales and transport packaging. A third area concerns solutions that are not required but could offer CO2 and cost benefits, such as replacing transport cartons or film bags with reusable boxes."
Many paths lead to sustainable packaging
The example of the Saxon start-up ReViSalt, founded in 2022, shows just how different the paths to sustainability can be. The five founders around Managing Director Michael Heidan have further developed a process for tempering glass that has almost been forgotten along with the GDR. And they turned it into "rapid chemical hardening".
The special thing about it is that the process takes a maximum of 30 minutes and is therefore just as fast as the established thermal tempering process, but is also suitable for thin-walled glass. Although these can also be chemically strengthened up to now, this takes 24 hours rather than 30 minutes. Revisalt's SCV method makes it possible for the first time to make almost any glass product thinner, lighter and more resistant to breakage and scratching. This requires less material and is therefore more resource and environmentally friendly. However, the glass industry must redesign its processes in order to achieve this goal.
A Swiss start-up has developed particularly environmentally friendly packaging for detergents: EccoClean sells washing powder for hand and machine washing. Seven grams of powder are packed in small paper sachets, which - demonstrably - dissolve in water within seconds without leaving any residue. The outer packaging for retail is made of cardboard. And to be on the safe side, EccoClean also produces the maximum environmentally friendly detergent itself.
An example from the food sector: Wiesbaden-based BMS Papier Concept has developed sustainable food packaging. ImpaQ is a disposable packaging for cheese, sausage or fish - in other words, for food that absolutely must be kept fresh, which is why the packaging must contain a barrier. And this is the highlight of ImpaQ: BMS has managed to develop a purely fibre-based barrier that still meets all food safety and shelf life requirements. This means that the packaging can be disposed of with the normal waste paper stream after use without contaminating it. The system is therefore based on an internationally widespread and established system for paper recycling.
The Munich-based start-up The Ocean Package produces reusable transport boxes for e-commerce. These are rented or sold to companies. Other providers of reusable boxes such as Hey Circle also offer such boxes. These then find their way back simply by dropping them in the nearest letterbox or via parcel service acceptance points. Austrian Post alone already has 40,000 of them in circulation. A significant contribution to avoiding packaging waste.
Corporations strengthen the circular economy
At the other end of the size scale is the Austrian packaging group Greiner Packaging. Among other things, Greiner produces classic yoghurt pots, which pose the same problem for consumers time and time again: What to do with opened yoghurts? Lids have been around for a long time, but in the end they end up in the bin.
That's why Greiner Packaging developed a reusable snap-on lid a few years ago as part of the transformation to a circular economy. It is manufactured using injection moulding, is suitable for the dishwasher and fits all standard cups. Food companies can also brand the lids to draw consumers' attention to the possibility of reuse. A simple measure that not only keeps the lid in the cycle, but also sustainably reduces food waste.
Greiner is also partially breaking up its previous business model: With the "Mix & Match Mealbox", the Group has developed a reusable box primarily for catering and hospitality businesses. The polypropylene take-away boxes, which also allow tracking thanks to in-built RFID chips, are a significant, fundamental step: a traditional producer of disposable packaging has decided to take up the topic of reusable packaging and thus follow a trend early on.
"It's usually the smaller companies and start-ups that try out new approaches like this," observes Pacoon Managing Director Peter Désilets. "With Greiner, an established company has used its market position to break new ground. It is probably the family-run companies that choose such approaches because they think more long-term and less about short-term profits and success."
Consumer brands are driving the transformation
However, industries that do not produce packaging but fill it are also driving the transformation. Food giant Nestlé, for example, has set itself the goal of using around a third less virgin material in its plastic packaging. There are also several approaches to reduce the weight of product and transport packaging, reduce the number of packaging units and push refill and reuse solutions.
Consumer goods giant Henkel is working in the same direction. For example, the Düsseldorf-based company has relaunched its consumer adhesive cartridges, which are now made from up to 95 per cent recycled plastic. In the USA, the Dial shower gel brand is being launched in shops with a new design. The sustainable packaging is made exclusively from recycled material, and a special "How2Recycle" label informs consumers of the correct way to dispose of the packaging.
Plastic in the cycle: New business models are becoming established
In some cases, changing the business model also serves the purpose of transformation, and this is perhaps the most exciting development at the moment. The German company Comepack, for example, used to sell reusable containers - today it utilises various rental models. For customers, this results in increased flexibility and cost transparency - the effects in terms of the circular economy are self-explanatory.
Those who go down this route accept lower revenues from the sale of the packaging and therefore have to substitute it. "Package as a service" models lend themselves to this and are likely to increase significantly in the coming years. The combination of durable, repairable or recyclable containers with similar business models is definitely one of the most exciting paths to transformation.
"These examples show the different approaches to embracing the trends and ensuring sustainability. Of course, not every approach has to be disruptive or radical, but can also be pursued step by step or in parallel with other solutions," says Peter Désilets.
In any case, it is important to deal with innovations at an early stage so as not to be forced into action later on and then implement more expensive, fast approaches or take the most obvious solution. "Because the quickest solutions will always find many imitators, which will then lead to price competition. The more expensive solution often promises a head start in order to differentiate itself from the competition."
In the "Fit for Future" workshops, Pacoon works with in-house teams to develop the various options for how companies can develop for the future based on existing business models and packaging trends.