Plastic pollution, including packaging waste, is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. For the past 3 years, the Polish Plastic Pact, which brings together representatives of the entire plastic packaging value chain, has been showing how business should respond to it. On October 10, the Pact held a conference titled “Many challenges – a common vision for circular packaging,” during which experts discussed the most urgent issues related to closing the loop for plastic packaging in Poland. What actions should businesses take?
What is the problem? Market analysis and identification of key areas for change
We do not know much today about the plastic packaging introduced to the Polish market – in the current reporting system, companies are only required to report the total mass of plastic packaging. Information regarding the presence of excessive and problematic packaging in portfolios, the share of recycled materials in packaging placed on the market, or the share of recyclable packaging is not collected and analyzed at a systemic level. The largest available study in this regard is the Pact’s Annual Reports, covering data from companies responsible for a quarter of the mass of packaging placed on the market in Poland.
– The Pact shows – like a magnifying glass – the situation the entire market is currently in. In the Report[1] for 2022 published on Tuesday, we analyzed the level of circular economy implementation in plastic packaging by our members and identified the most important challenges for the coming years. It is from hard data that we draw lessons for the future and, based on them, set directions for action not only for Pact members but for the entire industry – commented Dorota Żmudzińska, Circular Economy Expert at the Polish Plastic Pact Secretariat.
The result of the analysis included identifying four key areas of action, which were discussed during expert discussion sprints during the Conference.
Which packaging needs to be changed? Knowing your packaging portfolio is the first step to building a strategy
The first priority set by the Pact is knowing the packaging portfolio within companies and, based on it, implementing a strategy for further action. As Joanna Kasowska, Director of Quality and Food Management Standards at Żabka Polska, pointed out: – You cannot close the loop without eco-design, and you cannot implement eco-design without knowing your portfolio. This knowledge is essential to know which packaging is recyclable and sustainable to the highest possible degree. At Żabka, we have an eco-design policy, and we know which packaging we will definitely not use to introduce our private label products to the market. When talking about strategies, it is also worth setting a time horizon for planned changes and consistently implementing subsequent provisions.
Agnieszka Koc, Environmental Protection Director at the Biedronka chain, also mentioned the need to build real understanding for environmental goals among various departments of the organization. The goal is for the packaging strategy to be an integral part of the entire company’s operations. According to the Director, one should also remember to regularly subject the actions taken to internal review.
Flexible packaging – the most urgent challenge in closing the loop
Pouches, packaging for chips or snack bars – flexible packaging is one of the fastest-growing packaging categories in the world, which, according to data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, already accounts for 30 to even 40% of all packaging globally. At the same time, we do not currently have the infrastructure in the world to manage such packaging. Actions regarding flexible packaging must therefore include both the elimination of excessive packaging and the redesign of those that cannot be abandoned. Subsequent members of the Pact shared examples of their actions in this area:
– The most important issues in building a strategy for flexible packaging are packaging analysis, partnership, and cooperation with suppliers. At Lorenz Polska, we started with a broad analysis – including best practices on the market, consumer expectations, and legal regulations. We want all our packaging to be recyclable, and the use of virgin plastics to fall by 15% by 2025. To achieve this, we examined our portfolio. In the case of some packaging, we thinned the film, reduced the packaging surface, and thinned the seals, thanks to which we have saved 56 tons of plastic since 2019. Where possible, we are also replacing multi-material packaging with mono-material ones – said Bartosz Sikorski, CSR Manager at Lorenz Polska.
– For us, our customers were a help in gaining knowledge about how to design packaging – among other things, because they also buy packaging from suppliers abroad. The Pact confirmed what we had learned and enabled us to further educate ourselves in this area. Then, together with technologists from individual departments, we had to think about how to replace raw materials so that the packaging would be recyclable and at the same time meet the requirements for food contact. – says Paweł Kornacki, Management Board Representative for Management Systems and Sustainable Development at Supravis, who pointed to the importance of cooperation between packaging manufacturers and representatives of other stages of the value chain.
Effective reduction of virgin plastics
Another key conclusion that resonated during the Conference is the need to reduce the consumption of virgin raw materials in packaging. One of the paths, in addition to eliminating excessive packaging and reducing packaging weight, is the shift towards reusable packaging. As emphasized by Tomasz Korytkowski, Director of Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, and Sustainable Development at Nestlé Polska, this path involves seeking solutions and responding to new challenges:
– Alternative solutions, such as reusable packaging, are a significant challenge – let’s remember that the consumer is looking for convenient solutions. The second issue is the scalability of solutions – as Nestlé, we are conducting pilot projects in this area in many markets and we observe that a model that works in one country does not necessarily have to work in another. Additionally, a huge barrier is the lack of a unified system – if every manufacturer were to have their own reuse or refill system, what would that mean for the consumer? This is a huge, as yet untapped field for cooperation between companies.
Responding to the challenges associated with implementing such systems, the Polish Plastic Pact presented another publication – ABC of reusable packaging[2]. The purpose of the study is to explain key concepts related to reusable packaging, indicate key regulations regarding the use and implementation of reusable packaging systems, and present their possibilities and limitations based on good practices from Poland and the world.
A recycling system working in practice and on a large scale
The last challenge resulting from the Pact’s Annual Report is the lack of an effective plastic packaging recycling system operating in Poland in practice and on a large scale. Edyta Urbaniak-Konik, Member of the Management Board at PreZero Bałtycka Energia, emphasized that the approach to the recycling system must be competitive, diverse, and innovative. In her opinion, awareness of the high costs of implementing such a system is also key. On the other hand, as shown by the example of the Danone company, presented by Paulina Kaczmarek, Head of Sustainability at the Danone group of companies, business does not have to passively wait for systemic solutions:
– Although we are aware of how necessary legislative solutions such as EPR are, we do not stop at waiting and we think about what we ourselves as companies can do today. Starting our program to close the loop for polystyrene packaging, we established cooperation with packaging recovery organizations. We conducted a discussion session and analyzed the entire life cycle of the packaging. Thanks to this, we learned about a new decontamination technology from the Silesian University of Technology. We invited Rekopol O.O.O. to the partnership and thought about what next. We established cooperation with sorting plants, which sorted out the appropriate packaging for us. The decontamination technology proved effective during tests and today allows for obtaining better quality recyclate, from which, among other things, flower pots or floor mats are made. In the coming months, we plan to develop and increase the scale of the project.
How to accelerate the implementation of the circular economy in Poland?
Analyzing the results achieved, setting areas for action, discussing solutions, and identifying opportunities and barriers is a process that will only be finalized by real actions. Małgorzata Greszta from the Polish Plastic Pact Secretariat pointed out how important cross-sector cooperation is in this regard:
– One hears more and more often about the need for cooperation between companies. It is precisely on this idea that we built the Pact. For over 3 years, we have been creating a strong partnership, connecting representatives of the entire packaging value chain and responding to market challenges. This is also perfectly illustrated by the examples indicated by our members – it was the exchange of knowledge with those introducing packaging to the market that allowed the Supravis company to redesign its packaging, Biedronka’s cooperation with suppliers enabled the implementation of subsequent deployments in the field of eco-design, and, among other things, thanks to cooperation with Rekopol, Danone built its program for the recovery of dairy cups. For years, we have been convincing the market of the necessity of cross-sector dialogue, and we see that it brings results.
Other entities agree with Małgorzata Greszta’s words – during the Conference, the Polish Chamber of Waste Management and 4 companies – Ecowipes, Grupa Śnieżka, Paccor (part of the Faerch Group), and Sushi&Food Factor joined the Pact. As Aleksandra Małozięć, Director of Corporate Communications and ESG at Grupa Śnieżka S.A., said: – As companies, we are not able to act in this area alone, and we want to use the synergy flowing from the partnership.
[1] www.paktplastikowy.pl/publikacje
[2] www.paktplastikowy.pl/publikacje