Circularity essentials: Huhtamaki urges tighter unification of industry tech and public infrastructure

22 Mar 2022 --- Huhtamaki is calling for broad collaborations between the public and private sectors, asserting that creating a circular economy will not be possible unless governments and industry bodies work more closely together.

In a new report conducted with Finnish nonprofit VTT, the food packaging specialist analyzes how recycling rates could be drastically improved by combining national infrastructures and policies with evolving industry technology. 

Speaking to PackagingInsights, Tanja Virtanen-Leppä, head of sustainability center of excellence at Huhtamaki, says developing recycling solutions must include alliances between brand owners, recycling and sorting technology developers and waste management companies. This necessity has been proven in recent developments, she adds. 

“Such partnerships are essential for future investment in new recycling technology. On the one hand, the partnership provides accessibility to used material and, on the other hand, a potential user for the recyclate.”

“There are many forms and formats for these partnerships. What the functional partnerships will have in common is the predictability of, for example, supply and demand. By ensuring that the public sector is committed to developing recycling infrastructure, private companies can commit to investments that rely on such infrastructure.” 

“Conversely, for the public sector, the knowledge of and visibility to the commitments of the private industry is important in justifying the further development of the collection and recycling infrastructure.”

Building EPR 
Huhtamaki is calling on the public sector to focus on the use of data from life cycle assessments to engage in evidence-based decision-making. 

Government and industry need to come together to increase recycling rates, says Huhtamaki.“More specifically, we encourage governments to examine the role and use of extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems to build a material-positive system for fit-for-purpose food packaging. A key factor of a well-functioning EPR system is that the funding collected via such a system is put directly back into the further development of the collection and recycling infrastructure.” 

Recently, controversy over the lack of recycled plastic and skyrocketing prices of recycled materials was highlighted by packaging industry players, who say much of what is recycled from PET bottles, for example, is given to other industries like fashion despite these industries contributing significantly less to recycling schemes.  

Taking tech to the top 
Another key aspect of the report shows that industry has a vital role to play in taking new innovations and technologies to policymakers for implementation. 

“Industry has the insight into why the use of innovation and partnerships are the crucial element in driving systemic change. Industry needs to proactively engage with government and policymakers to explain where and how public-private partnerships can be formed and why they are beneficial,” says Virtanen-Leppä. 

Speaking of new developments such as advanced recycling technologies, which are rapidly spreading worldwide, she asserts that “it is particularly important with any new technology that the regulatory environment supports innovation and does not introduce unintended barriers.” Insufficient infrastructure is wasting valuable resources, highlights Huhtamaki.

“The predictability of the operational environment is of utmost importance for industry. We want to see enabling legislation rather than simplistic responses such as the use of restrictions on packaging materials, which could simply ossify recycling infrastructures and prevent the development of lower-carbon and circular packaging.” 

Cutting carbon 
Ultimately, Virtanen-Leppä says the goal is to drive down carbon emissions in line with global environmental sustainability goals. 

“We recognize that what is needed is a real push for systemic change toward low carbon circularity, which goes beyond individual companies and brings value chains together.”

“We call for the use of innovation and partnerships and the more effective use of EPR systems to build a material-positive system for fit-for-purpose food packaging. We want to see that the packaging materials, which provide access to safe, affordable foods and help prevent food waste, are then recycled in ways that maximize their value to both the planet and people and therefore help deliver a low carbon circular economy.”

Recently, UK-based paper packaging player DS Smith released a report detailing the twelve most contaminating packaging items, many of which are unfit for recycling streams due to their contact with food materials. Huge amounts of material are shown to be wasted each year due to the lack of local collection and processing facilities, combined with consumer ignorance.  

Bringing industry technology in line with public infrastructure is essential in bridging these gaps and circularizing the economy, concludes Huhtamaki. 

By Louis Gore-Langton