Event programme

Stricter PPWR requirements are accelerating the development of packaging designed for recycling. Mono-material polyolefin structures are one of the key directions in the transformation of the flexible packaging market, but their implementation presents a range of technological and functional challenges. In this presentation, we will show how to successfully reconcile PPWR requirements, brand owners’ expectations and the practical realities of converting and recycling.

Success in the PPWR era will depend not simply on switching to mono-material structures, but on skilfully combining circularity, functionality and commercial viability.

An ICIS expert will assess the realistic prospects of meeting the PPWR targets for mandatory recycled content by 2030. The presentation will examine the current state of Europe’s plastics recycling industry, the key uncertainties surrounding the implementation of the PPWR and the most viable pathways to meeting the new requirements.

According to ICIS forecasts, without a significant acceleration in investment, the European Union will face a serious shortfall in the supply of domestically produced rPE and rPP needed to meet the PPWR targets for 2030.

This presentation explains the principles of mass balance and shows how the approach reconciles stringent regulatory requirements (the PPWR and the Single-Use Plastics Directive) with the realities of polyolefin production. We will discuss the mechanisms for allocating recycled feedstocks within petrochemical infrastructure and the role of ISCC PLUS certification in ensuring supply-chain transparency and protecting brands against greenwashing.

Circularity with assurance: participants will understand how the mass-balance approach enables recyclates to be introduced at scale without compromising quality, and why ISCC PLUS certification is a market cornerstone for making credible environmental claims on packaging.

As a design and consultancy studio with more than 30 years of experience, we will show how to design products with their entire life cycle in mind. We will explain why Products that Last and Products that Flow require different ecodesign strategies — from durability, repair and extending product life to reducing material use, reuse, refill and recycling. Drawing on examples of Ergodesign projects, we will demonstrate how environmental requirements and market expectations can be translated into specific design decisions. We will also present our proprietary Circular Loop Canvas, a tool that supports the analysis of material flows and circular potential, and the design of solutions aligned with circular-economy principles.

The term ‘circularity’ can be understood literally, as a physical process associated with the circular economy, as well as figuratively. In the latter sense, it can describe a social dynamic based on continuous communication between consumers and producers and on the exchange of expectations, outcomes and experiences.

The presentation will address three main areas, drawing on the latest waves of SW Research’s proprietary EKObarometr study:
1. A diagnosis of current environmental attitudes and behaviours among Polish consumers (segmentation) — what has changed over the past five years?
2. Eco-friendly packaging and the climate — how do consumers understand the relationship?
3. The agency gap — what is it and how can it be closed?

Success in the packaging industry requires closing the gap between consumers’ stated intentions and their actual behaviour. This calls for cooperation among all stakeholders — producers, consumers and policymakers — to protect our shared natural environment. At this stage, consumers need not so much more education as a stronger sense of agency.

The PPWR is an unprecedented change that requires business models and technologies to be adapted. The panel will bring together perspectives from across the value chain: a raw-material supplier (BOPS), a converter, food manufacturers (PFPŻ ZP), a retailer and market analysts (SW Research). The discussion will focus on the practical challenges involved in moving to mono-material solutions, the availability of suitable recyclates, how the cost of the transition should be shared (CAPEX/OPEX), and how to build collaborative innovation that reconciles environmental goals with stringent food standards.

Circularity is a team effort: participants will leave with a clear understanding that successful PPWR implementation depends on full market integration — from polymer innovation and the adaptation of packaging lines to consumer education — and that transparent dialogue and a rational sharing of investment across every link in the value chain are essential to a smooth transition.