Published on 26. September 2022
Updated on 4. November 2022
National
Design for Recycling
Reading time: 3 Minutes, 18 Seconds
The German Packaging Act (VerpackG) stipulates the annual publication of a minimum standard by the Central Packaging Register (Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister – ZSVR) in coordination with the Federal Ministry of the Environment. This minimum standard specifies which criteria determine the recyclability of packaging.
On September 1st, the current minimum standard 2022 was published.
The degree to which packaging performs well or poorly in the recycling process is an important factor for the success of high-quality recycling. Many different aspects play a role in this performance. Starting with the main material of the packaging, through proportions and details of other components, the type and coloring of the packaging, to the material of the label. Packaging that has already ensured good recyclability during the manufacturing process can be recycled more easily after disposal and enables the extraction of high-quality recyclates to be used in new products. Thereby, packaging waste is sensibly recycled and at the same time natural resources are conserved.
Rewarding the production of recyclable packaging with incentives can be a way to promote these positive effects. Companies that produce packaging have to pay fees for the quantities brought to market. Thereby, they participate in the German “dual system” and commission the programs (producer responsibility organizations – PROs) to organize the collection, sorting and recycling of the packaging. According to the German Packaging Act, the PROs are obliged to create incentives for the recycling-friendly design of packaging on the basis of the minimum standard. It is therefore worthwhile for companies to pay attention to recycling-friendly design when manufacturing packaging.
Like its predecessors, the minimum standard 2022 is also based on minimum criteria that take into account the quality of material available for recycling. The minimum criteria stipulate that…
These and further criteria are intended to ensure that packaging is evaluated with a sound methodology and on a uniform basis. This is meant to prevent that packaging only appears to be produced “sustainably”, while in reality it cannot be recycled at all or only to a limited extent. According to the analysis ZSVR published in the course of releasing the minimum standard 2022, a trend to seemingly sustainable packaging can be observed. The ZSVR reports, among other things, that more and more fiber-based packaging is currently being produced as a consequence of wide-spread “plastic bashing”. Thereby, manufacturing companies are responding to changes in the behavior of their consumers, who are placing ever greater emphasis on sustainable packaging.
In fact, however, this fiber-based packaging only suggests an ecological added value – in the recycling process, they perform worse than, for example, unmixed plastic packaging. The recycling performance of fiber-based packaging depends to a large extent on whether and how well the fibers dissolve during recycling and can thus be reprocessed.
For this reason, a detection regulation for poorly recyclable fiber-based composite packaging is one of the various adjustments in the current version of the minimum standard. For such fiber-based composite packaging, proof of recyclability must now be provided in some cases. Incidentally, this requirement also applies to paper packaging that contains liquid or pasty.
The Minimum Standard 2022 also responds to other packaging trends that are not conducive to recycling from the point of view of the ZSVR. Overall, according to its report, the ZSVR sees significant progress in terms of “Design for Recycling” – but there is still potential for optimization in many ways, which the new minimum standard tries to raise in 2022.
International
Circular Economy
EPR
The abbreviation PPWR stands for “Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation”, also known as the EU Packaging Regulation, which affects all EU member states. On 24 April 2024, the plenary of the EU Parliament voted on the English version of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. The regulation was adopted with 476 votes in favour, 129 […]
RecycleMich
Circular economy needs all of us if we want to improve packaging recycling Sustainable commitment and responsible business practices play an important role at Lidl Austria in improving the circular economy and packaging recycling in Austria. Where possible, the Group says “Pfiat di Plastik” and reduces or eliminates plastic. Where this does not make sense, […]
RMe company news
+++ Update April 24, 2024: Regulation on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR) adopted in EU plenary +++ Today, on April 24, the plenary of the EU Parliament voted on the English version of the PPWR. The regulation was adopted with 476 votes in favour, 129 against and 24 abstentions. The translations and legal language checks […]
More and more products and packagings are being placed on international markets. To ensure that these are kept in circulation for as long as possible, there are a number of international and national laws and regulations. Producers and distributors must always stay up to date. Otherwise they could risk fines or sales bans. But how […]
You don’t want to miss any more information?
Then register free of charge for our RecycleNews and let us keep you informed about exciting news in the field of the Circular Economy.
Woman Man Diverse