The role of the "good guys" is largely taken. Paper, cardboard and paperboard have many arguments in their favour as a sustainable packaging material - and not least the sympathy of consumers. However, the limitations of the material are well known; especially in the food sector, where freshness, shelf life and food authenticity are important, paper alone is usually not the solution. It needs to be combined with other materials that form barriers against moisture, liquids and grease, for example.
Good for the environment despite plastic?
Composite packaging made of paper with a plastic layer as a laminate or coating or additives. Are they capable of largely replacing plastic packaging for food? What about clean separation and how do they behave in the existing recycling system?
Five arguments why paper composite packaging will be an indispensable building block for more environmental protection and a circular economy, especially in the food sector.
1. paper packaging supports the proportion of waste paper in recycling
What is actually collected and recycled? In Germany, as in most other European countries, the picture is similar: the collection rates for paper are excellent, while those for plastic are well behind. The Federal Statistical Office reports an overall recycling rate of 70.1% for 2021, a top international figure. However, while paper and cardboard achieved a rate of over 90%, the rate for plastic packaging was 56%. As a rule, there are also significantly more waste paper containers in households than yellow bins or the yellow bag.
The PPWR, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which will supplement the national Packaging Act, also takes this fact into account. It places a clear emphasis on the handling of plastic packaging, while paper and cardboard are explicitly excluded from many requirements.
How sustainable is the collection infrastructure itself?
Peter Désilets, Managing Director of Pacoon Sustainability Concepts, an agency specialising in sustainable packaging concepts, sees the plastic packaging industry under pressure as a result: "In recent decades, far too little work has been done in this area on feasible solutions in line with the circular economy. At the same time, the collection infrastructure for paper in Germany and many other European countries is significantly better than for plastics. It therefore makes sense to always optimise fibre composites for paper recycling so that they can be disposed of in the paper bin wherever possible."
According to Désilets, composite packaging also offers a strong alternative where it replaces mixed plastics that are difficult or almost impossible to recycle. Even a study by the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen concludes that "substitution with paper composites therefore competes with the optimisation of recyclability in the plastic packaging market". "Some positive examples of paper composite packaging are explicitly listed. And these packaging examples mentioned in the study are from 2021 - in the meantime, the technologies have developed significantly and new solutions are on the market," says Peter Désilets.
2. composites fit into paper recycling
Plastic in waste paper: is that allowed? In purely technical terms, says Peter Désilets, this is not an obstacle. "A plastic content of 20 per cent or more in paper packaging is absolutely not a no-go for recycling. In principle, a higher proportion can even improve fibre recycling, as the films are easier to separate in this case." However, there is still a misconception in people's minds that paper packaging with more than 5 per cent foreign material is not recyclable. This is wrong, as we continuously communicate, and this is also confirmed by paper recyclers and associations.
The argument that paper-based packaging is generally somewhat heavier than its plastic counterparts is of course correct, but "both the recyclability and the probability of recycling are many times higher". Paper fibres can be recycled around 25 times - so if the composites were disposed of with the waste paper, larger quantities of recycled fibres would be available to be used again in conjunction with barriers.
Is the packaging material being penalised?
Désilets sees problems more in the disposal system: "In Germany, the dual system still puts paper-plastic composites at a disadvantage in terms of costs because they are charged like plastics if they contain more than five per cent, whereas disposal via the paper bin can offer much better recycling opportunities. This really is a flaw in the plastic-driven waste disposal system in Germany." Incidentally, the 5% limit is not valid throughout Europe. In Austria, for example, composites with up to 20% foreign material content are considered paper or PPK fraction, in other countries even higher percentages. The Dual System therefore does not reward better recyclability, but looks to the revenue side to finance the system.
3. new barriers for food packaging
The problematic part of classic composite-based food packaging is the barrier that protects the contents. It usually consists of a plastic film, such as polyethylene.
However, environmentally friendly alternatives are increasingly coming into focus. The development of bioplastics or biodegradable coatings has long since gained momentum, while coatings and spray barriers are becoming increasingly important. "We are also seeing new trends in paper-plastic composites or fibre packaging with barriers in cast fibre or thermoformed fibre packaging," says Peter Désilets. "New spray technologies that can apply wafer-thin barriers are also increasingly being used here. Food products require specific barriers and have to fulfil additional processing requirements. Here too, one size doesn't fit all," says Peter Désilets.
4 More deinking, less adhesive: a tailwind for the recycling loop
Barriers are by no means the only components that stand in the way of paper recycling. A major issue is the printing of paper and cardboard, for example, as this also applies materials that can be problematic for recycled paper. While intensive research is being carried out into alternative printing inks, it is also important to raise awareness of the issue, as Peter Désilets reports: "The deinking of folding boxes and shipping cartons is becoming increasingly important because they are also more likely to end up in the paper fraction at the recyclers. This is also confirmed by the deinking industry association INGEDE, which would like to include more packaging manufacturers as association members in order to sensitise them to the topic."
Speaking of INGEDE: the association recently investigated how discount stickers from various discounters behave when recycled as inserts in print products. More precisely: the adhesives, one of the most unpleasant foreign substances in the recycling of paper products. The results were "sobering", although the assessment scheme of the European Recovered Paper Council "does not set any insurmountable requirements". One example among many that the reduction of paper with adhesive applications - such as paper bags, address labels, sticky notes or the self-adhesive seal on envelopes - can also make paper composite packaging significantly more recyclable.
5. consumers want to dispose of and recycle packaging separately
The use of paper-based composite packaging makes sense, not least for psychological reasons. Numerous studies indicate that most people are well aware of the importance of separate disposal and professional recycling.
The widespread uncertainty among consumers as to which type of packaging should actually be disposed of and how is not just the fault of the consumers themselves. The relevant recommendations and regulations (as well as the state of research) have changed too often. However, the different recycling rates of paper and plastic also indicate that paper packaging is much more strongly associated with recycling and is seen as a valuable raw material.
Composite packaging, which can be demonstrably fed into the waste paper cycle, therefore meets with the general attitude that paper is a valuable commodity that can be perfectly recycled. And that it definitely ensures greater sustainability.
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