Michael Brunn

GVM and the Ifeu Institute have prepared the "Packaging Monitor 2025" on behalf of the AGVU. According to the report, 17.9 million tonnes of packaging were produced in Germany in 2023. This corresponds to a decline of 1.1 tonnes (5.9 per cent) compared to the previous year. The decline was mainly observed in wood, PPK, plastics and other steel. The last time there was such a sharp decline was during the financial crisis in 2009. In addition, there has been a decline in packaging volumes for the second time in a row.

Blue Phoenix operates 11 plants in the UK stretching the length and breadth of the country, which together process more than 1.5 million tonnes of IBA each year.  With operations across Europe, North America and Australia, Blue Phoenix is the world's largest IBA processor, specialising in recovering ash residues from EfW (Energy-from-Waste) plants. 

These technologies are well understood and are increasingly being used at commercial-scale to produce intermediary products for new Li-ion battery production, such as black mass, battery-grade metal salts, precursor cathode active material (pCAM), and CAM.

Tray-to-tray recycling is becoming a recognized approach for advancing circularity in plastic packaging - especially for food-grade applications. Valerio Sama, Business Development Manager - Packaging at Tomra Recycling, examines the latest developments in tray-to-tray recycling, detailing the challenges, technologies and market trends shaping its growth across the industry.

The project aims to research and develop new methods for cleaning and decontaminating recycled plastics, specifically polyolefins—a type of material widely used in packaging. To achieve this, DECONWASTE will explore advanced decontamination techniques capable of transforming post-consumer waste into safe recycled materials, following the guidelines of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Targeting commercialization in 2027, Asahi Kasei has launched full-fledged activity to license the technology to partners worldwide.

With more than 20 recycling facilities across 11 countries, supported by strong business partnerships and optimized operations, Indorama Ventures collectively recycles 789 bottles every second.

The feedback will help the Commission to better understand the bottlenecks and opportunities in promoting the circular economy in Europe. The Circular Economy Act will accelerate this transition and increase the EU's economic security, resilience, competitiveness and decarbonisation. 

For this reason, ARC is now taking the next step towards environmentally harmless waste disposal: After more than 200 electric refuse collection vehicles, the wheel loader fleet has been electrified - consisting of eight new battery-electric wheel loaders L 507 E from Liebherr.

Stadler has successfully completed the new municipal solid waste sorting plant for Stockholm Vatten och Avfall (SVOA). Designed to process 50 tons of waste per hour, the new facility is equipped with fully automated sorting lines that recover organic waste from household garbage, as well as plastic and metals accidentally mixed in the residual material arriving at the plant. This reduces the volume of materials destined for incineration to generate power and heat water, consequently lowering CO2 emissions.