Packaging Cockpit

EU Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste from 2018 set recycling targets for all member states. This includes recycling rates for packaging of 65% by 2025 and a recycling rate for each individual fraction. [In Austria, the specified recycling targets are already being achieved in all fractions, with the exception of the plastic fraction. Austria is still a long way from achieving the 50% target for plastic packaging in 2025, as the figures from 2017 show, with only 25% achieved [ARA, 2019].

In order to achieve the EU target, it is necessary to determine which of the available packaging is considered recyclable and which needs to be changed. These requirements pose a major challenge for packaging manufacturers and distributors. In Austria, there are various ways of assessing recyclability, but the results of these assessment tools are not always the same and the process is time-consuming and cost-intensive. It is therefore necessary to create an Austrian standard and thus a basis for the assessment of recyclability, which will help to support the industry in achieving the EU requirements.

In addition to the goal of recyclability of packaging, an important aspect, namely the ecological impact, should not be ignored. Recyclability alone is not sufficient to make a statement about the environmental impact of individual packaging. In addition to the assessment of recyclability, an overview life cycle assessment must also be drawn up.

Therefore, the aim of this work package in the first step is to develop a packaging assessment cockpit (Packaging Cockpit) for sustainable food packaging. In a second step, specific food packaging with a high level of sustainability will be developed for various food categories.

The development of the Packaging Cockpit also includes the automation of the sustainability assessment, which includes recyclability on the one hand and an optimised life cycle assessment of packaging on the other. In addition, algorithms are being developed that automatically generate suggestions for optimising the sustainability of packaging for food packaging categories (e.g. cold cuts). Automating the assessment will save valuable time and therefore costs in the future.

In a further step, this assessment will be used to establish food packaging with a high level of sustainability. High priority will be given to highly circular packaging concepts that can be used in different countries. Specifically, concepts for food packaging with a high degree of recyclability will be developed.