Whether disposable to-go cups, pizza boxes, packaged vegetables or online orders: the flood of packaging is constantly increasing despite growing environmental awareness or precisely because of “modern” lifestyles. The large amount of packaging does not end up in recycling and thus in the material cycle, but in waste incineration. Almost a third of all packaging waste in Germany occurs in front of the checkouts in retail and wholesale.

For the most part, disposable packaging is used for transport, which consists predominantly of paper, cardboard and cardboard. However, their production not only uses waste paper, but also valuable primary raw materials. A sustainability goal of packaging development and production is to use as little material as possible without jeopardizing the protection of the packaged product.

Transformation is achieved through the development of packaging for closed cycles in which it is recycled and reused in order to counteract “littering”, especially of recyclable plastic packaging, and the incineration of growing mountains of waste. The packaging industry also deals with unpackaged and reusable solutions. Reusable bottles and cups, reusable containers for food or packaging for shipping and transport provide resource-saving and environmentally friendly alternatives, especially in the food sector. Innovative and customer-friendly solutions help to reduce packaging waste and raise consumer awareness of sustainability.

The industry therefore includes, for example, the production of sales, service and shipping packaging as well as unpackaged and reusable solutions. Companies that collect, sort, treat and recycle materials are classified in the “waste disposal and recycling industry” sector.