Today, on May 5, representatives of the packaging value chain from Austria announced the launch of the “Platform Packaging with a Future”. “We were founded in late 2019 and now we start visibly to the public. We are certain that together we can achieve more in bringing objectivity into the packaging discussion, ”says Axel Kühner, CEO of Greiner AG, Upper Austrian global player in the plastics and foam industry.
The “Platform Packaging with a Future” was founded by seven companies along the entire value chain - Greiner, ALPLA Group, Nestlé Austria, Coca-Cola Austria, Interseroh Austria, ENGEL Austria and EREMA Group. The cornerstones are the promotion of a functioning circular economy, the creation of more awareness for the sensible use of packaging or the avoidance of packaging and thus the initiation of a constructive dialogue in the area of tension of the packaging discussion with different stakeholders. Each member makes an important contribution to the success of these projects.
The crisis shows the important properties of packaging
"The four cornerstones of a functioning circular economy Reduce, Replace, Reuse and Recycle are already implemented by the members of the platform in many areas. But together, we can drive innovation even further. We want to position Austria as a model country in terms of sustainability in packaging and be a mouthpiece for this, ”says Günther Lehner, CEO of the Vorarlberg ALPLA Group, a global specialist in plastic packaging and recycling.
"In the current crisis, important properties of packaging - transport protection, the longer shelf life of food and the hygiene factor - are clearly visible. Plastic packaging generally and especially in times like these has the factual argument on its side - it would be good if it were to remain this way afterwards, ”says Angela Teml, Head of Corporate Communications at Nestlé Austria. Sustainability remains in focus in all considerations and projects. "For example, the entire Römerquelle PET bottle range is made from 100 percent recycled PET," says Coca-Cola Austria company spokesman Philipp Bodzenta as one of many examples.
Common principles to “close the circle”
The “Platform Packaging with a Future” sees itself as a dialogue partner for the further development of the packaging debate - for politics, science, NGOs and consumers. “We want to take responsibility and are looking for an exchange with all relevant stakeholders. The goal is a functioning circular economy and with the creation of the platform we have come a significant step closer to it”, says Manfred Hackl, Managing Director of the EREMA Group, summing up the objective.
Austria is a pioneer in the circular economy
“It is vital that companies in the packaging industry network globally. The circular economy is a supra-regional and at the same time interdisciplinary challenge that we can only really pursue and solve successfully together. As a mechanical engineering company, we make a significant contribution with producing packaging in such a way that it conserves resources and is itself recyclable. The focus is on 'Design for Recycling' and new digital technologies. There are a number of companies in Austria whose innovative technologies are in demand worldwide in this area, ”explains Stefan Engleder, CEO of ENGEL Austria.
Dialogue partner towards politics
The members of the “Platform Packaging with a Future” also have specific concerns that they want to discuss with politicians. "We are thinking of introducing uniform collection systems - especially for the “Gelber Sack” (yellow bag) -, improving the infrastructure in the areas of separation, collection, sorting and recycling, or simply promoting packaging solutions that are 100% reusable, reusable or recyclable”, says Franz Sauseng, Managing Director of the environmental service provider Interseroh Austria as the first points.
Joint activities
The platform members have undertaken numerous activities. "We start with a digital panel discussion on the topic of food waste, we will hold talks with political actors and seek exchange with science and NGOs in regular sparring meetings", says Günther Lehner and summarizes the upcoming measures of the platform.
The platform
The “Platform Packaging with a Future” is an association of Austrian companies - Greiner, ALPLA, Nestlé Austria, Coca-Cola Austria, Interseroh Austria, ENGEL Austria and EREMA Group - along the packaging value chain. The platform members are convinced that resource-saving use of packaging is possible and sensible. The “Platform Packaging with a Future” wants to work towards optimizing the recyclability in the packaging industry and continuously improving sustainability in the packaging sector. The platform relies on an open dialogue with all relevant players and offers a factual and fact-based discourse.
The companies of the “Platform Packaging with a Future” employ more than 40,000 people and generate sales of more than € 9 billion.
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