Everything in crisis? The packaging industry before interpack 2023

It has been six years since the last interpack was held in Düsseldorf. Six years, during which a lot has also changed in the world of packaging. Where is the packaging industry now, shortly before its most important trade fair?

Within Europe, one issue above all is dominating discussions within the sector: the specifications planned for environmental claims within the EU. No wonder, since the European Union is the biggest domestic market in the world. In 2021, the GDP of the EU was 14.5 trillion euros.

According to a proposal by the European Commission in March 2023, voluntary environmental claims made by companies concerning their products should adhere to certain minimal standards – both in terms of provability and regarding the manner of communication. The EU is especially targeting explicit advertising claims, such as: “T-shirt made of recycled plastic bottles”, “climate-neutral shipping”, “packaging made of 30 percent recycled plastics” or “ocean-friendly sunscreen”. Also on the Commission’s list are seals and signs. New public labelling systems are to be permissible only if developed at EU level.

However, the impetus to use recyclates is coming not only from politics. This is because, where on the one hand, thought is given to an appropriate quota for recyclates and the proper labelling thereof, on the other hand, there is the question of how to bring the necessary recyclate into circulation in the first place.

The German department of the association Plastics Europe has therefore presented a joint position paper with the German Chemical Industry association (VCI). Its focus is mainly on chemical recycling, usually treated as a secondary option until now. According to the view of the authors, the process could contribute to reducing emissions, solving the plastic waste problem, gaining secure access to raw materials and separating future perspectives from the use of fossil raw materials. However, realisation would also depend on a “European framework sympathetic towards investment”.

The chemical recycling method can also recycle materials which cannot be reused in mechanical recycling, for example compound materials. However, as opposed to mechanical recycling, chemical recycling has rather high energy demands. Despite this, the associations view chemical recycling as a sensible addition to the existing circulation routes, as more valuable resources would remain available for the EU economic area using this process. Member companies in these associations are prepared to make billion-euro investments in this process in Germany and the EU and to scale up their production plants, but full legal recognition of chemical recycling has yet to be granted, says Plastics Europe Germany.

Yet, the industry is not without worries. In March, interpack president Markus Rustler spoke up. “Besides turbulences like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we are still looking at very disrupted supply chains. And this is an issue that, in my opinion, is still far from solved. I think that, unfortunately, all of us will still be struggling in 2023 – regarding the issue of whether special electronic components will be available.”

With regard to the trade fair, Rustler is however optimistic, which doubtless also reflects the mood of a large part of the sector: "It has now been almost six years since the last interpack. That is an eternity in our sector. I presume that we are going to see huge leaps in innovation – not least because there haven’t been any opportunities for presentation in the meantime. And if I listen to what exhibitors are saying, everyone is feeling really, really positive and expecting an awesome trade fair.”