Constantia Flexibles sheds light on the future of circular packaging at the European Forum Alpbach

Alpbach, August 31, 2023

At this year's European Forum Alpbach, Constantia Flexibles, a pioneering force in the flexible packaging industry, presented a compelling content session titled Packaging with a Purpose: Understanding the Power of Circular Packaging. This debate emphasized the importance of more sustainable packaging solutions and the necessity for a holistic approach to the life cycle of flexible packaging.

Packaging, in modern times, has become an integral part of our daily lives, safeguarding our most precious commodities ranging from food and hygiene products to pharmaceuticals. However, there is a growing need to balance functionality and the environmental impact. A universal solution doesn't exist. Constantia Flexibles delivers various packaging options, from film and foil to paper, ensuring goods are safely packed with the lowest impact on the environment. The journey begins with understanding a product's lifecycle. Insights on this were shared by Martina Wagner, the Group Sustainability Expert at Constantia Flexibles.

The content session also featured a keynote address from Prof. Achim Grefenstein, Head of Group R&D of Constantia Flexibles, shedding light on the evolution of 'Circularity and Packaging Design' and what lies ahead, possibly beyond 2030.

In a lively and holistic panel discussion, the session highlighted the importance of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), innovative solutions, emphasized the crucial role of policymakers and the entire packaging value chain. It focused on key factors shaping the future of the circular economy. It provided comprehensive insights for policymakers and encouraged dialogue with key players along the value chain for a better understanding of flexible packaging.

The panel comprised members:

• Lukas Mandl, Member of the European Parliament
• Sarah Warscher, Representative from Austria's Green Party
• Marianne Neumüller-Klapper, Sustainability Director, Nespresso Austria
• Guido Aufdemkamp, Executive Director of Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE) and European Aluminium Foil Association
• Daniel Winkler, Member of the Executive Board, Constantia Flexibles

"Just as Nespresso is committed to a circular economy, we too are working on the transformation of our customers' product portfolios. For that purpose, understanding what packaging actually does is essential! In fact, there are still challenges we need to overcome, and everyone needs to understand them. Education and collaboration with the wider public is key. Through events like the European Forum Alpbach, we hope to create an open dialogue that can lead to actionable solutions for a more sustainable future," said Daniel Winkler, Member of the Board of Constantia Flexibles.

“Coffee capsules do not count as packaging, so they cannot simply be returned via the public collection of waste materials. To make recycling of used coffee capsules even easier in the future, we are focusing on collaboration across all sectors to drive large-scale, long-term projects with proven circularity effects. An initial pilot project has already been carried out with the Austrian Coffee and Tea Association and Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA) in the town of Gnas. As part of the project, we collected coffee capsules of all brands and materials and set up additional collection containers, which enabled us to significantly increase the total amount of capsules collected,” so Marianne Neumüller-Klapper, Sustainability Director of Nespresso Austria.

The session was met with a positive response, underlining the industry's and the public's growing interest in sustainable packaging solutions and a circular economy.

Constantia Flexibles is the world’s third largest producer of flexible packaging. Based on the guiding principle of ‘People, Passion, Packaging’, 7,650 employees manufacture tailor-made packaging solutions at 30 sites in 16 countries. Many international companies and local market leaders from the consumer and pharma industries choose the sustainable and innovative products. Sustainability is a top priority at Constantia Flexibles: the company was rated Level A- by Climate Change Leadership (CDP) and Gold by EcoVadis in 2022.www.cflex.com