Showcasing circularity at drupa

At drupa’s exhibition space, 4evergreen was in the company of member organisations, including Henkel, Koenig & Bauer AG, Koehler, Baumer hhs, Bobst, Heidelberger, Actega, hubergroup, Leonhard Kurz, Mondi, HP, and MM Group. In addition to welcoming visitors and showcasing the 4evergreen technical toolbox, the alliance hosted two key sessions to discuss pivotal topics:

The value chain approach

4evergreen Chair Sarah Price presented 4evergreen’s value chain approach to perfect the circularity of fibre-based packaging. She emphasised the importance of leveraging expertise at all stages of the value chain to ensure the success of the Circular Economy transformation and meet some of the most pressing issues of our time.

“There is, of course, no quick fix to the challenges we face and no one part of the value chain has all the answers. That is why, in 2020, our value chain decided to create an alliance covering all steps of the packaging life cycle. Collectively, we agreed on an ambitious end goal: to focus on several essential actions in order to ensure we reach a 90% recycling rate for all fibre-based packaging by 2030,” Price said.

In a second session titled “Circularity by Design: 4evergreen’s guideline for fibre-based packaging”, attendees explored 4evergreen’s extensive work on design guidelines aimed at making packaging easier to collect, sort, and recycle. This session highlighted the practical application of these guidelines in real-world scenarios.

Representatives from 4evergreen member company Baumer hhs, including Managing Director Percy Dengler and Head of Strategy & Innovation Thomas Walther, demonstrated how the 4evergreen design recommendations have given Baumer hhs a broad view of the entire value chain and the interconnections of its elements. They explained how this knowledge influences product development, significantly reducing the use of adhesives in packaging manufacturing by up to 50%. These savings not only cut costs but also help reduce the ecological footprint.

To explore more success stories where best practices and 4evergreen’s guidance have been applied in real-life scenarios, visit the 4evergreen website at 4evergreen Circularity Success Stories.