ProSweets Cologne 2025 live: Esbe Plastic sales manager talks recycled content scarcity amid regulatory pressure

Esbe Plastic is addressing the growing regulatory and material sourcing challenges in the plastic industry while working to make its confectionery trays more recyclable. At the ongoing ProSweets trade show in Cologne, Germany (February 2–5), Adrian Kilg, the company’s deputy sales manager, says that the German and EU regulations and rising demand for recycled content are “not easy to deal with.”

Speaking to Packaging Insights, Kilg shares how Esbe is navigating these hurdles while enhancing the recyclability of its thermoform plastic trays for chocolates and biscuits.

“Germany’s Single-Use Plastics Fund Act, is a law which has led to several taxes on plastic, and it’s nowadays very hard to deal with,” he says.

“Another example is the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which  is also a challenge because it says that by 2030, 30% of the content of all our trays has to come from recycled content or post-consumer waste.”

Kilg says these regulatory changes have led to rising demand for recycled content while market availability  is limited. “Availability must be increased, but that will be a challenge because everyone wants this material. Currently, there is not enough material on the market.”

Recyclable plastic trays 

Despite mounting regulatory obstacles, Kilg expresses that Esbe is committed to improving the recyclability of its trays to make them more environmentally sustainable.

Esbe Plastic’s thermoform plastic trays for chocolates and biscuits.“What we want to show this year is how to make confectionery trays as sustainable as possible. Our first and the biggest challenge is to ensure the recyclability of the trays while continually working to improve it,” he says.  

“First of all, the use of colors, especially carbon-based colors, should be reduced. Carbon-based colors can cause problems with recycling machines, which overall reduces the recyclability of the trays. For this reason, it is better to reduce colors and make the trays transparent.”

According to Kilg, another way to improve recyclability is to reduce the overall material used for the film. This also reduces the thickness of the trays. “Of course, the requirement for this reduction is that the trays will still run perfectly on our customers’ machines. It’s also very important to ensure the trays’ product protection function.”

He adds that reducing materials and thickness is better for the environment and saves costs for Esbe’s customers in the confectionery industry. 

“Another way is to increase the recycled PET content in the trays. Our customers can tell us what they need [in terms of the percentage of recycled content].”

“For example, they can say that they need a particular percentage of recycled content. This is possible at up to 80% of our trays’ content. Post-consumer approaches are definitely viable,” says Kilg.