Interpack 2023: Greiner Packaging discusses single-use and reusable formats
24 May 2023 | Greiner Packaging
At Interpack 2023, we talk to Greiner Packaging’s global head of marketing, Alexandria Mitterbaur, who discusses the company’s latest innovations and how EU policymakers can help businesses achieve environmental sustainability advances.
This is Louis Gur Langton for Packaging Insights.
We're live at Interpc 2023.
I'm joined by Alexandria Mitterbauer, global head of marketing at Greiner.
Hi there.
Hi, hi everyone.
My name is Alexandra Mitterba.
And what's Ger got on display this year?
So this year's motto is join the circular revolution with the three main big R's, which is reuse, reuse, and recycle.
And one of our main products are of course this reuse drinking.
As as this lightweight bucket and this K3 R100 cup.
So maybe I'll show you this main product.
It is the K3R100, which is a cardboard plastic combination cup, and Yes, it is up to 100% recyclable, and the innovative part of it is actually that you don't need the human interface anymore to separate the plastic cup from the paper wrap, but it is automatically destroyed in the separation or recycling process.
And if you want, I can just show it to you very quickly.
So you just need to squeeze it a bit, basically, and the paper wrap.
Automatically separates from the plastic.
This is actually a very, very huge advantage.
So K3 is already one of our latest innovations.
We have invented the K3 cup 40 years ago, as you can see here in the background.
The K3R100 is just one further step to the future to use way, way less material, to reduce the material, and of course to increase the recyclability.
By the automated separation, so to say, what are the challenges in creating this product?
Generally speaking, we always have to consider the resources and the material.
Of course it's always one of our main goals is to close the loop, basically to reuse, for instance, recycled materials as like.
However, there are also some challenges using certain materials, and we really have to look at the global scale.
So using materials that is good or for the environment that we can reuse all over again, that there is a circular economy behind it, so to say, and basically try everything we got with these resources and increase the overall footprint.
So the effectiveness of the product also relies on infrastructure, collection and recycling.
What can policymakers do to help Greiner?
So first of all, I would say.
Packaging manufacturers face different challenges, so there are different kinds of regislation as the PPWR regulation, and this is nothing that we as packaging face, but many, many producers at all.
And we really have to find sustainable packaging solutions which is not good only for our consumers.
And the environment, but also fulfills basically all the regulations coming up with.
And one of those steps is, for instance, is also like using not only single use packaging but also reusable packaging.
Do you envision a time where the majority of packaging is reusable.
That's actually a good question.
I think a lot can be reused over and over again, not just the reusable drinking cup, but for instance for takeouts for instance or in-home deliveries.
However, the packaging alone is not the solution.
It's just one part of the solution because you need kind of an infrastructure.
How to return those reusable packaging, how to clean it up, and so on and so forth, and we at Packaging actually are very eager to innovate and keep on innovating.
We just had our innovation camp a few weeks ago and in 9 different search fields we are trying to find out new business models, new products, new solutions, how we can cope with all of these challenges.
Alexandra.
