Brussels – 30 November 2021 – the 4evergreen alliance shares its first insights of research into different aspects of the fibre-based packaging value chain, in a unique industry-wide attempt to increase the recycling rate of fibre-based packaging.

 

After extensive  research and analysis, conducted by  more than 130 experts from 80 companies during the last year, 4evergreen alliance presented highlights from its seminal work focused on increasing the recyclability of fibre-based packaging to 90% by 2030 through:

 – A new recyclability evaluation protocol: 52 packaging samples have been tested and evaluated in accordance with their suitability to be recycled at standard paper recycling mill to provide a comprehensive toolkit to boost recyclability validation.

 – Circularity by design guidelines; Explicit design recommendation tables have been created based on the expert consensus opinion to ensure design for recycling.

 – Collection & sorting guidelines; collection & sorting practices across the EU have been investigated and summarized to elucidate best practices and anticipate the impact of the future regulatory challenges on EU level.

 – Innovation: Three Innovative projects related to novel recycling and sorting technologies that aim to find new ways to streamline the recycling process and reduce material loss.

From the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Andrej Čuš said “EU industry is the cornerstone of the economy and development. It has been driven by innovation, quality, and respect for the environment, including in packaging. I believe that the circular future is the only possible future for packaging and other areas of industry.”

The event fostered discussion and debate between stakeholders within the packaging value chain and beyond. There were strong calls for continued collaboration and ambition and to challenge the status quo and perfect circularity.

Hans Wortman, 4evergreen Chair, said, “Today marks a key stage in what is an exciting journey. We have been working together for almost 2 years and now is the time to show our progress. We are proud of our members and the expertise they have brought to the project, and we look forward to continuing this journey. We hope that early next year we will be able to bring our first guidelines to the public”.

The online conference “A Circular Future for Packaging: perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging together” brought together around 500 participants from the entire fibre-based value chain as well as consumer associations, and EU policymakers to discuss perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging.

Press Contact

For media requests and follow-ups, please contact:

Kieran Chandler, 4evergreen Press Officer, kieran.chandler@logos-pa.com

Susanne Haase, 4evergreen Programme Director s.haase@cepi.org

ABOUT 4EVERGREEN

4evergreen is a cross-industry alliance perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging to contribute to a climate-neutral and sustainable society. Our goal is to raise the overall recycling rate of fibre-based packaging to 90% by 2030. We bring a particular focus on packaging with a lower circularity performance today, namely the types used for household, out-of-home and on-the-go consumption.

The alliance brings together industry representatives from across the fibre-based packaging value-chain, from pulp, paper and board manufacturers and recyclers to packaging producers and converters, including brand owners, retailers and waste management companies. It also comprises chemical suppliers (e.g., adhesives, inks, coatings), technology providers (e.g., machinery, collection, and recycling solutions), and leading research institutes.

To date, 4evergreen brings together more than 80 market leaders representing all the players of the fibre-based packaging value chain (find a list of members here).