Duni & RMe: Trust is based on many years of cooperation

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Duni Group has relied on RecycleMe’s know-how for many years. As one of the leading suppliers of sustainable and innovative concepts for the laid table and take-away sector, the company is affected by many legal changes due to the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive coming into force. In an interview with RecycleMe Managing Director Sabrina Goebel, Erik Lindroth, Sustainability Director at Duni Group talks about the major challenges that need to be overcome and the significance of the topic of sustainability in their own company.  

Duni Group’s sustainability standards have always been very high. What exactly are the goals you have set?

EL: The accelerating pace of climate change, resource scarcity and biodiversity loss are putting pressure on all of us to act. Duni Group has been committed to leading the development of environmentally adapted disposable products for many years. Products that offer maximum functionality and long-term solutions for recycling, composting or reuse. The updated 2030 Strategy, “Our Decade of Action”, underpins our sustainability efforts. The ambition is to give back more than we take. We want to enable regenerative business models that allow both current and future generations to thrive socially and economically without adverse environmental impacts.  

How can RecycleMe support this strategy?

SG: The task of companies worldwide is to focus on their products and their core business. Our role with RecycleMe is to help these companies minimise their negative impact on our environment. We do this by first analysing the initial situation of each company in order to then develop concepts for improvement potentials beyond this initial situation and also to raise these potentials together – without disregarding economic efficiency. Accordingly, we are very familiar with the legal situation in Duni Group’s sales markets from the very beginning. We were therefore aware of the challenge posed by the SUP Directive at an early stage and were able to provide our partner with the best possible advice on the necessary conversion of their packaging materials. In workshops designed especially for this purpose, we presented the new requirements clearly and concisely. In this way, we were able to jointly derive a strategy and accompany the change in the product portfolio accordingly. We also constantly monitor the relevant markets so that we can react quickly to future developments and implement them together with Duni.  

EL: As we are active in many markets, we also have to meet different legal requirements. In RecycleMe we have found a competent partner for our compliance. This means that we can be sure of being informed at an early stage about national and international changes, amendments to laws or similar. It enables us to handle any adjustments at an early stage and to remain a leader in our industry.  

What does sustainability mean for Duni Group?

EL: Sustainability for us means striking a balance between today and tomorrow. The challenge is that there are intrinsic conflicts in the ‘triple bottom line’ concept of people, planet, and profit. We must balance these conflicts. We should all be able to live fulfilling lives today, both socially and economically, without environmentally compromising the opportunities of future generations. At Duni Group, we firmly believe that despite the challenges and potential setbacks, we can – and must – contribute to positive change and a more resilient society. In practice, this means that we need to cut our fossil material dependency, aim for a net zero future and ensure we strengthen our capabilities to do so.  

SG: Together with our sister company Reclay, we are part of the RAAN group of companies and have over years of expertise in the environmental and recycling sector in our group of companies. Sustainability and an awareness of the consequences of our actions are therefore simply in our DNA. Through our work with partners like the Duni Group, we can contribute to bringing the circular economy and recyclable packaging into the everyday lives of consumers. Our vision of accompanying and actively shaping change at a time when many players along the value chain are rethinking is what unites us as a team and drives us.    

“One day you will wake up and you won’t have time to do the things you wanted to do. Do them now.” That is a famous quote by Paolo Coelho. It’s quite fitting, isn’t it?

SG: Definitely. We have to think about our future now and work on innovations that keep recyclable materials in circulation for as long as possible and thus conserve the natural resources of our planet. This applies to all areas of daily life and especially to the sustainable use of packaging.  

EL: I can only agree with that. Our portfolio of high-quality and environmentally adapted products such as napkins, tablecloths and candles, as well as packaging and packaging systems for the take-away sector, makes up only a part of everyday life. But the transition from plastic packaging to fibre-based packaging, the development of reuse solutions and substantial reductions in climate impact have already begun. Our society is in need of more sustainable solutions. This is how we want to become and remain a trusted sustainability leader.