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Consumer Goods & Retail Packaging
Day 1, Wednesday 09 November, 2022
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The plastic crisis is a gift. A fossil fuel defibrillator alerting humanity that we need to rethink our entire production and material systems. And the good news?' It's already happening'.
A brilliant wrecking ball of change is in play. Everything will be different. Because it has to be. There is no other liveable path for mankind to take.'
The days of pledges and advocacy are over.' Businesses are reinventing themselves from the inside out and the outside in. We are in a new revolution that is bigger than any revolution that precedes it and it is happening at extraordinary speed.
The world needs strong, brave and visionary business leadership more than ever before. Only industry, the tool of change, can build the vision of this extraordinary bright optimistic future that we can all accelerate towards.
Now is the time for action. So, where on earth are you?
Within a fast changing and complex business world innovation management and an agile adaption of core businesses is crucial to sustainably managing traditional companies within the plastic industry also in the future. Thus, one approach of anchoring innovative solutions within a corporate can be the cooperation with startups. During this panel startups collaborations will be regarded from three different angles: a startup, a university and a corporate angle.
Port F as the corporate innovation lab of the Feddersen group will report about one practical case pointing out the obstacles but also the tremendous advantages of incorporating sustainable startup activities and cooperation within medium-sized traditional plastic companies such as the Feddersen group. In this best practice case, port F has invested a small venture capital ticket in a biomaterials startup Biofiber Tech Sweden AB (BFT) to bring the cooperation in operational topics to the next level. Sara from the startup BFT and Silke from port F will share some insights about their joint experiences. Also, during this panel, Edda from OBI squared will give some exciting insights about her KPI-driven startup activities and venture clienting work and their impact on a corporate’s success. With her university perspective and experience within entrepreneurial management Christina will enrichen the multi-perspective view on sustainable startup cooperations.
The importance of a forward approach when creating fibre-based packaging by looking at the driving factors.
What do retailers, brand owners, investors and consumers have as common goals... and how do they influence the sustainable packaging of today and tomorrow?
“Leave the past, move forward” … this quote by Steve Harvey sets the tone for a dynamic speech.
Paper is one the oldest forms of packaging and now has a large role to play in the transition to a post-fossil circular economy. When plastics appeared as an alternative, they took market share from many of the more traditional and natural packaging materials, but this trend is now beginning to reverse. Some of those packaging may be plastic-free according to demanding requirements like the Single Use Packaging Directive (SUPD) but some still needs to use combinations with conventional plastic to reach the right level of barrier performance and to ensure the appropriate protection of packed goods. Such directives have also triggered intensification of the efforts to scale research for using naturally occurring biopolymers as well as coating alternatives which not only derive from renewable resources but also potentially provide improved end of life scenarios.
We will illustrate the topics with three examples:
-Fresh produce packaging solutions that use both a plastic-free tray and plastic-free lid to meet new SUPD requirements in France that ban plastic for such segments. In addition, such packaging can demonstrate an improvement in recyclability as well as climate impact both directly at the packaging level and in terms of providing extended shelf life to packed products vs. benchmark plastic packaging.
-Multipack solutions that are plastic-free and that can also answer concerns in some SUPD implementation measures, for example in Spain, where the use of plastic in small packs, like plastic rings, is discouraged as they too often accidentally end up in the environment and are not suitable for recycling. Likewise, the different aspects of shifting to such solutions will be discussed with a systems perspective.
-Highlights of current collaborative research on conventional plastic-free barriers including proteins, cellulose derivates, etc. as well as other approaches for surface treatment will be shared as an outlook on potential future packaging trends.
With a global population now exceeding 8 billion, we need a fundamentally new system of making to meet the rapidly growing needs of our planet's population. Our current material supply chain is built on fossil fuels — a finite and shrinking resource — and designed for the linear path of plastics: extraction, manipulation, consumption, landfill. And at every step, this process leaches toxins and pollutants into our precious ecosystems, compromising the health of our communities and planet.
We cannot recycle our way free. We must remake how we make, drawing on nature’s extraordinary abundance: More new plant matter grows in an average day on earth than the sum total of all the petroleum-derived materials mankind produces in a year.
In this keynote, NFW founder and CEO Dr. Luke Haverhals details the systemic shift already underway with the world’s most iconic makers to an entirely different framework for material science: scaling plastic-free, nutrient-based material manufacturing and designing the global supply chain to work with – instead of against – planet earth.
Changing materials and business models
Key challenges he addresses are
- scaling cradle-to-cradle design across many different textiles
- keeping the supply chain in Europe.
- having a carbon footprint for every product and managing carbon emissions instead of externalising them.
- removing trade-offs between product quality („touch&feel“) and environmental impact.
- substituting cotton and polyester, which are currently dominating the textile markets by wood-based fibres (e.g. Lyocell/Tencel)
He truly believes that real premium textiles will have to become plastic-free and carbon neutral and that todays’s entrepreneurs need to respect future generations instead of destroying the planet."
The world urgently needs to speed up the transition towards green chemistry. How can an ecosystem help and what are the benefits for entrepreneurs to be part of such an ecosystem? This session will zoom in on how to build an ecosystem, and shares examples of benefits for companies operating in such an ecosystem.
This panel discussion brings together ATOS partners and customers regarding an automated Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) solution. With BASF as partner and inventor, Atos as enabler and distributor and Trinseo as Customer taking action towards a Net-Zero future, a full-cycle discussion around the topic of carbon footprint measurement and calculation is provided. All three parties will be discussing a unique opportunity to innovate industry wide standards for PCF Calculation.
The PCF calculation tool (SCOTT) and methodology developed by BASF is based on LCA and calculates a cradle-to-gate PCF. Atos was selected as partner to develop and distribute a one of a kind software platform to make this tool and procedure available to the industry. The methodology is based on the ISO standards 14040:2006, 14044:2006 and ISO14067:2018.
Starting June 2022, Trinseo is working with Atos using a digital solution that calculates PCF for the chemical industry to gather key insights for enterprise-wide deployment of the solution in line with its existing SAP ERP and data landscape. After upscaling the tool across business units, Trinseo is expected to ultimately achieve the capability of providing automated PCF information in-house to its customers for all its products.
This panel discussion aims to exchange views, reflect the entire enablement process as well as deliver an outlook for future users in search of Net-Zero Solutions.
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Today’s energy and chemical producers are starting to implement evolving sustainable process technologies, such as Pyrolysis, Biomass Gasification, Sludge Processing and Plastic Recycling to accelerate decarbonization and the circular economy in their drive to carbon neutrality. While adapting operations and assets in order to remain resilient and contribute to a net zero carbon economy, the increasing cross industry competition for scarce renewable and bio feedstocks is exacerbating the problem.
Aside from competition of other consumers of feedstocks, the industry is also competing for water and its circularity. The new and modified processes using renewable and bio-based feedstocks lead to significant amounts of wastewater with quite different water qualities e.g. from drying or processing. That is why an integrated business model is requisite to compete in the new intersectoral arena. Today’s energy and chemical producers not only need to secure alternative feedstocks and explore partnering with others, such as municipal waste and wastewater companies, but also need to secure reliable access to water with maximum re-use of produced water.
In this presentation, a systematical approach will be introduced to assess the operational effectiveness by minimizing raw water intake, maximizing water re-use with minimum wastewater discharge and producing energy from waste and wastewater.
Key topics to be discussed:
The paradigm shift required to balance between water demand and low-carbon energy transition.
The impact of evolving technologies on utilities and wastewater treatment.
Intersectoral arena: alternative partnering with waste and wastewater plants.
Day 2, Thursday 10 November, 2022
Plastic value chains are complex and there are significant ecological and social impacts associated with the production, consumption and disposal of plastic waste. Voluntary standards and certification increase transparency, require accountability and drive actions that reduce environmental risk and improve livelihoods in plastic value chains.
Standards, like Verra’s Plastic Standard, are backed by quality assurance principles, and require third-party assessment and verification of claims and impact by independent auditing bodies. Project impacts must be accounted for using a technically sound quantification methodology specific to particular project types. The Verra Registry is available to the public and provides a central storehouse of data on all certified projects.
Following ISEAL best practices, the Plastic Standard was developed with input from diverse external stakeholders to ensure workability and applicability to a broad range of contexts.
To reduce the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill, incinerators, and the environment, we need to identify new solutions and move to more circular models. But for some packaging, these changes can’t be made by one company alone and require cross-industry collaboration to find solutions that are technically feasible, commercially viable, and can be implemented at scale.
11 companies, coming together through the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, have been working on a collaborative project to find alternative solutions for traditional, linear, single-use pallet stretch wrap. The group was made up of companies along the entire plastic supply chain, from polymer manufacturers to FMCG, logistics, and recycling companies, including Microsoft, Cisco, CHEP, and BASF. The project demonstrates the challenges faced by industry when changing materials, how industry collaboration is possible to identify suitable alternatives, and provides guidance to companies that are trying to identify alternative solutions within their operations.
In this session, Anthesis will present the opportunities gained through a cross-industry collaborative project, a proven system for coordinating a project at scale, and how this can help achieve the bigger goals and challenges faced by the industry.
I would like to call up some industry leaders and experts in the plastic production, manufacturing, recycling, and banking sectors. To discuss the development and launch of a decentralised recycling ecosystem to streamline interactions between consumers, organisations, recyclers, and brands by adding full transparency to the recycling process. Can aid in decreasing pollution levels, eliminate green washing and drive consumer behavioural change by commoditising plastic waste.
Our ambition is to help individuals and organisations treat plastic waste as a commodity instead of waste.
Elan is nested in the unique environment of the Slovenian alps, surrounded with pristine and untouched nature.
Dedicated to developing world-class skis that set trends in skiing.
Constant strive for an improvement is in elan’s DNA, and the strive is even more valid when it comes to Sustainable actions.
In the speech, you will learn, why Elan can say: “Sustainable by nature”.
The journey will take us through key milestones in terms of sustainability, the company has taken over 8 decades, the rewards they are getting, yet learn as well, what their mission is in terms of sustainability.
In the current "EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles", the Digital Product Passport is next to a chapter on avoiding microplastic, the central, product data-related element on the way to a circular industry, and the innovation that will have the largest impact on the IT- and Process-landscapes.
In 18 months, the essential prerequisites for the future Digital Product Passport will be created for electronics, batteries and textiles in the so-called "CIRPASS" project, just started in October 2022.
The speaker Andreas Schneider is the "Sector Lead for Textiles" in the CIRPASS project.
In his presentation, he will describe important details and the current status at the project launch, as well as how the GTS standard, initiated by him and a group of visionary pioneers - from fibre to circular economy - can help companies of all sizes to automatically generate and provide the product, certificate and circular material data required in the Digital Product Passport.
GTS enables you to quickly and easily enter the world of automated data exchange between suppliers, producers, brands and retailers.
So that collaboration becomes faster, more secure and more sustainable.
Did you know that there are plastics in baby wipes?
Our choices matter in daily life. As VEOCEL™, we’re dedicated to show consumers that ingredients in everyday care products can be eco-friendly.
By choosing them, we can do good for decreasing our negative impact on the environment.
Lenzing´s wood-based biodegradable VEOCEL™ branded fibers are a true sustainable alternative to fossil-based synthetics. VEOCEL™ fibers are used in many single-use products from baby wipes & make-up remover wipes, household & disinfecting wipes to baby diapers, fem care products and even facial sheet masks. These everyday care products are part of our lives and by choosing the eco-friendly version of them, we can have a positive impact on our environment. The Single-Use Plastics Directive, announced by EU drives attention to single-use products which contain plastics. The directive enables consumers to make a more informed purchase decision. VEOCEL™ fibers are made of the raw material wood and sourced from sustainably managed forests. Thus, VEOCEL™ fibers are biodegradable and compostable meaning they are derived from nature and return to nature at the end of their life cycle.
Additionally, VEOCEL™ recently marked a milestone with the introduction of the industry´s first carbon neutral VEOCEL™ branded fibers. The new offering for Lyocell fibers will enable VEOCEL™ to support nonwovens industry partners and product brand to reduce climate impact through the use of fibers with a net-zero carbon footprint.
The world is in the middle of a plastic waste crisis, only made worse by the pandemic. The limitations of traditional recycling technologies and economic challenges facing the planet currently present significant roadblocks in tackling this problem. While there is no single solution to solve this growing crisis, there are innovations and technologies from the industry to help.
To truly transform into a global circular economy for plastics, the acceptance and implementation of advanced recycling technologies across the board, is critical.
Partnering with the whole eco system for a materials revolution and constructive conversations to repair and prepare our planet for future generations is essential.
- The ins and outs, pros and cons of advanced recycling
- Eastman projects and partnerships
- The infrastructure challenges in Europe that need to be solved to get more chemical recycling technologies operating at scale
- How we can all join forces so that plastic never become waste.
Xampla is a BCorp Cambridge University spin-out which has created the world's first entirely natural replacement for plastic made from plant proteins, such as pea-protein. The material performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment.
Xampla's plant protein-based material has been developed through more than 15 years' research at the University of Cambridge. The academic research has moved on to develop technologies using this material for the packaging industry, the food & drink industry and agriculture.
This presentation will be delivered by Simon Hombersley, CEO of Xampla and will explore the opportunities that are available with 100 percent plant based polymers for brands looking to switch from traditional plastics. A successful cleantech entrepreneur, Simon is well placed to discuss the journey from start-up to scale up, reflecting on the lessons Xampla has learnt and where it will go over the next 12-months to bring its innovative material to a large consumer base.
Xampla's core technology is created from naturally occurring polymers and is handled and processed with no chemical modification, making it high performance and seamlessly biodegradable ' thus if it ends up in the environment it causes no harm. This presents a significant opportunity for brands to replace their single-use packaging with something that offers the same benefits without harming the environment.'
It is Xampla's core mission to eliminate the most polluting single-use plastics for the sake of our ocean's health, and this presentation will also explore how this material can be used in a variety of markets and applications, bringing something not only new to the market, but something completely natural that brands and consumers have been seeking. This is not only significant for brands, but also for the development and innovation of products.
This presentation seeks to share how commonly used single-use plastics and microplastics can be replaced with like-for-like alternatives that fit with existing processes and equipment used by industry, and how it is possible to create plastic technology that will home compost, and even break down in the natural environment, as a safe solution for the Earth's soils and seas.
We will also cover examples of how these materials have been used with major global brands. These include Xampla's recent announcement that it is partnering with Britvic to further develop its material to hold nutrients within liquids as well as creating the world's first edible stock cube wrapper made from pea protein developed for meal kit retailer Gousto, which has the potential to replace 17 tonnes of plastic annually, if rolled out at scale. '
The presentation will also include powerful visuals of Xampla's polymers and materials and the opportunity this presents for industry, consumers and the planet.
Carbonauten will launch the "minus CO2 factory 001" in 2022 to reduce climate gases in the order of gigatons and to obtain raw materials for sustainable products. The CO2 sink is created by carbonizing biomass residues into biocarbons at decentralized, modular facilities - anywhere in the world. One ton of carbon produced in this way permanently stores up to 3.3 tons of CO2. In addition to biocarbon - as a CO2-negative raw material - the carbonauten system supplies 24/7 base-load renewable energy to operate the company's own production facilities and also to supply local companies and communities.
In corporate divisions of the company, carbonauten ensures that sustainability becomes practicable. In collaboration with various industrial partners, they produce high-quality, biocarbon enriched plastic granules, construction materials and agricultural soil additives - and at low prices. This is because the carbonauten have set themselves the goal of making bio cheap and thus accessible to everyone.
These biocarbon added products are called "carbonauten NET-Materials ®" (negative emission technology). The amazing thing is that they have an impact far beyond the simple understanding of sustainability. Thus, they not only do not cause further damage to our social and ecological systems, but actively contribute to their regeneration.
Heat generation in industry is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Direct use of renewable heat sources is limited, in part because of high temperature requirements. One of the few options is concentrating solar thermal energy (CST). This technology, which is still little known, has excellent characteristics to ensure the provision of industrial process heat – even in Germany and central Europe.
Concentrating collector systems are suitable for generating process heat up to an operating temperature of 400°and beyond. That means that CST heat can be used in wide areas of industry, in the food, textile and chemical sectors for example. With increasing gas and electricity prices there is a notable growing interest. In 2022 concentrating solar heat capacity quadruples and several multinational corporations have discovered solar steam as an important way to achieve their climate protection goals.
In this session we will show in how far the technology is capable to supply solar heat into industrial structures and we will discuss possible applications, efficiency, and economy as well as possible constraints.
Supported by UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office Germany