In Germany, the amount of packaging waste is continuously increasing. In the EU, Germans rank fourth among waste producers with 38 kg of waste per capita per year (source: Böll Stiftung: Plastikatlas). A lot of packaging is used only once, then goes into the trash and is often incinerated instead of recycled. In addition, plastics have so far been produced predominantly from petroleum, which is in limited supply.
Climate-neutral packaging made from renewable raw materials significantly improves the climate footprint. These kinds of manufacturing processes have already been developed and are common practice, but they represent only a small share of the market. Retailers are also developing concepts for alternative approaches.
Why are such innovations so slow to catch on? What is the status of science, business, and commerce today? What does it take for ideas to move from theory to practice? What are the political hurdles? How can we all deal with packaging in a cleaner and more sustainable way?
