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Food-grade recycled materials from the yellow bag have long been considered a major challenge in plastics recycling. With a new recycling plant in Germany, we are now creating the conditions to produce high-quality recycled polypropylene for use in food packaging, thereby further closing material loops.

This development is of great importance to manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers. This is because packaging requirements are constantly increasing. The European PPWR, increasing requirements for the use of recycled materials and the expectations of customers and consumers are driving up the demand for high-quality recycled raw materials.

While food-grade recycled materials have already become established for PET, comparable solutions for polypropylene are still in their infancy. This is precisely where our investment comes in. The goal is to produce high-quality recycled materials from used packaging that can be reused for sensitive applications in the food industry.

This development opens up new opportunities for Austrian companies. The availability of high-quality recycled materials will play an important role in the future in order to Circular Economy Implementing the circular economy in practice, meeting regulatory requirements, and designing packaging to be sustainable in the long term.

With our international expertise in recycling and materials, we drive innovation throughout the entire value chain and lay the foundation for tomorrow’s high-quality material cycles.

Learn more about the new recycling plant and our investment in food-grade recycled materials.

Would you like to know how this development will affect your packaging, your recycling strategy, or the requirements of the PPWR …might have? Our experts will be happy to advise you zerowaste@interzero.at

On June 17, the 10th edition of Future Resources took place in Cologne. The conference has established itself as an important industry gathering for sustainable packaging solutions and was organized again this year by Interzero in collaboration with the packaging journal.

The focus was on the big questions currently on the minds of many companies: What does the new PPWR Specifically for packaging? What requirements apply to distributors, retailers, logistics providers, and brand companies? And how can Recyclability, the use of recycled materials, and credible sustainability claims in practice?

The program provided expert analysis and concrete practical perspectives on these topics. Futurist Tristan Horx, in his keynote address “Future Reloaded,” offered insights into trends, countertrends, and the willingness to embrace change. Dr. Markus W. Pauly provided insights into the VerpackDG and was available afterward for a PPWR consultation session. Franziska Safak from the Central Agency for Packaging Register outlined the current status of the PPWR and the declaration of conformity.

Practical aspects were also well represented: presentations on certified recycled content, credible recycled content claims, packaging in 2030, and best practices from the packaging and branded goods industries demonstrated just how closely regulation, material decisions, and implementation are now intertwined.

Future Resources is also relevant to Interzero Austria because many of the topics discussed directly affect Austrian companies—particularly with regard to packaging data, recycling solutions, the circular economy and preparation for upcoming regulatory requirements.

The event demonstrated once again that guidance, knowledge sharing, and practical implementation support are becoming increasingly important for companies. Those who address the new requirements early on can develop their packaging more strategically and make better use of their room for maneuver.

📅 The next event will take place on June 16, 2027, in Cologne. It’s a must-attend for anyone interested in PPWR, packaging design, recycled materials, and circular solutions.

How can we successfully transition from a wasteful society to a functioning circular economy? This question was the focus of the panel discussion “Moving Away from a Wasteful Society: Europe’s Strategy for an Effective Circular Economy” at the BFI University of Applied Sciences in Vienna.

Together with representatives from academia, EU policy circles, environmental organizations, and the business community, Thomas Glatz, speaking on behalf of Interzero Austria, discussed the framework conditions companies need to ensure that the circular economy is not merely stated as a goal but is effectively implemented in practice.

The discussion centered on several key topics: clear and reliable regulatory guidelines, investment security, innovation, fair competition, and the question of how used products and Packaging can be transformed back into high-quality raw materials. After all, the circular economy has long been more than just an environmental issue. It is also a key factor for security of supply, competitiveness, and regional development in Europe.

One thing became clear: The direction has been set; now it’s all about implementation. Effective material cycles do not result from individual measures, but rather from the interplay of product design, collection, sorting, recovery, technology, and demand for recycled materials. This requires companies that invest, policies that create practical framework conditions, and markets that actually use secondary raw materials.

For Interzero, this dialogue is particularly relevant because we put the circular economy into practice every day—from recycling solutions to waste management to the return of recyclable materials into new material cycles.

Food waste is an environmental, social, and economic challenge all at once. This is precisely where the Alliance Against Food Waste and Poverty comes in—an initiative we at Interzero have joined.

Initiated by Die Tafel Österreich, the alliance brings together organizations from the business, agricultural, retail, and logistics sectors, as well as cities, municipalities, and the social sector. The goal is to reduce food waste while simultaneously tackling food insecurity in a targeted manner.

At the first Allianz Summit in Vienna in May, it became clear just how important this shared approach is. Among other things, participants discussed issues related to food waste prevention and redistribution to charitable organizations, Sustainability, Circular Economy, agriculture, production, trade, institutional food service, and consumer behavior.

The summit also showed that effective solutions emerge when different stakeholders along the entire value chain work together. It is not about individual measures, but rather about better coordination between prevention, sharing, logistics, awareness-raising, and structural frameworks.

For us, our involvement in the alliance is a clear commitment to the responsible use of resources. Because Resource Conservation doesn’t start with recycling, but rather where food, materials, and existing structures are used as sensibly as possible.

(Photo credit: Thomas Topf)

But what actually happens to these materials? And what happens to packaging after consumers dispose of it in the yellow bag or bin, the glass or paper recycling container, or at the recycling center?

Many companies are aware of their legal obligations regarding Packaging. However, the processes behind collection, sorting, and recycling rarely receive much attention. Yet it is precisely this system that forms the foundation for a functioning circular economy in Austria.

From Licensing to the Circular Economy

The so-called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requires companies to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of the packaging they place on the market, particularly with regard to collection and recycling.

In practice, companies join a collection and recycling system and pay licensing fees for this service. The amount is based, among other factors, on the type of material and the quantity of packaging placed on the market.

These funds are used to organize and finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of packaging waste, as well as for other areas such as public relations and the promotion of waste prevention. The goal is to meet statutory recycling and recovery rates and to return recyclable materials to the cycle as efficiently as possible.

The Journey of Your Packaging

Once packaging has been used, it begins its journey back into the recycling cycle:

1. Separate Collection

Packaging is collected separately in yellow bags or yellow bins, as well as in glass or paper recycling containers.

2. Transportation and Sorting

The separately collected packaging is transported to sorting facilities and sorted by material type and quality.

3. Utilization

Recyclable materials are processed and reintroduced into production processes as secondary raw materials. Non-recyclable components are used for energy recovery.

4. Return to the cycle

The raw materials recovered are used to create new products and Packaging. This helps conserve primary raw materials and keeps resources in circulation.

Who is organizing the collection?

A clearly defined system is needed to ensure that packaging can be collected and recycled throughout Austria.

Approved collection and recycling systems assume organizational responsibility for the volumes of packaging allocated to them. They coordinate operations, finance services, and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

For household waste collection, collection and recycling systems are assigned collection regions every five years through a lottery based on their market shares, as part of a legally regulated procedure.

However, the systems do not carry out the collection themselves. Instead, they issue calls for bids for the necessary collection services and contract qualified collection and disposal companies to carry out the work.

The collection and recycling systems are currently preparing for the bidding period covering the service period from 2028 to 2032. This will ensure that collection can continue to be organized comprehensively, efficiently, and in accordance with legal requirements.

Why the system will become even more important in the future

With the new EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), requirements for recyclability, resource efficiency, and the circular economy are continuing to rise.

For companies, this means that in the future they will need to take an even more comprehensive view of packaging throughout its entire life cycle—from development through use to collection and recycling.

Effective collection and recycling systems provide the necessary foundation for this and ensure that used packaging can be turned back into valuable raw materials.

For companies, sustainability measures are increasingly becoming a question of verifiable impact. This is precisely where the “resources SAVED” certificates from Interzero.

The certificates make visible the concrete contribution that companies make together with Interzero to the circular economy and to climate and resource protection. The basis for this is the study “resources SAVED by recycling”which Interzero has been carrying out together with the Fraunhofer UMSICHT Institute for 18 years now.

The scientific life cycle assessment makes it clear how many primary resources and greenhouse gas emissions are actually saved through recycling. This is based on real material flow data, recycling volumes, transport distances and energy consumption from practical collaboration with our customers.

The jointly achieved contributions to circular economy, recycling and resource conservation are annually recognized by individual “resources SAVED” certificates scientifically documented.

For many companies today, this evidence is a valuable component of sustainability and ESG communication. This is because it is increasingly no longer enough to simply describe sustainability measures; comprehensible data and concrete impact are required.

The calculations are based on the internationally recognized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. The scientists compare all process steps of primary raw material extraction with those of recycling. The results clearly show: Recycling solutions make a measurable contribution to climate and resource protection.

In addition, we support our customers with supplementary communication materials and graphics to make this environmental performance transparent to customers, partners and stakeholders.

More about the “resources SAVED” certificates and the scientific calculation methodology in the latest blog post.

Projects for waste prevention and circular economy have long been on the agenda in many companies. What is usually more difficult is the practical implementation: Which measures are actually eligible for funding? Which projects bring measurable benefits? And where does the effort really pay off economically? This is where the VKS funding programs can create concrete financial leeway.

Measures to reduce packaging waste, optimize logistics processes, introduce reusable packaging or extend product life cycles are among the measures being promoted.cycles. Awareness-raising, repairability and resource conservation projects are also may be relevant.

The VKSfunding call 2026 starts on June 15. Anyone wishing to submit should include the funding logic, target definition, key figures and d Structure documentation at an early stage.

Good set up Projects often not only create access to funding, but also improve processes, material use and resource efficiency.

Holistic project support from the idea to implementation

We support companies from the initial project idea through to submission and implementation with

• Project structure and target definition

• Funding logic and submission documents

• measurable key figures

• Classification of regulatory requirements

• Integration into existing circular economy-strategies

More information on funding criteria, priorities 2026 and submission documents can be found here:

Funding information from VKS in the area of Packaging 2026: Funding information VKS 2026

Submission period: June 15, 2026 – 05.10.2026,

Expected funding approval: December 2026

When preparing the PPWR declaration of conformity, many companies realize just how complex structured packaging data actually is. Irrespective of open questions of detail, it is already clear that without structured Packaging datatraceable documentation and assessment of recyclability recyclability preparing for future requirements becomes much more difficult.

Complexity quickly arises, especially with extensive packaging portfolios. Different materials, suppliers, packaging components and responsibilities have to be brought together and evaluated. Many companies are therefore currently faced with very practical questions:

• Which packaging should be checked first?

• What data is still missing?

• How can the recyclability efficiently?

• And how can the technical basis for subsequent declarations of conformity be established?

With our digital solution Check4Recycling companies create a structured basis for precisely this.

Check4Recycling helps companies to systematically analyze packaging, process relevant data centrally and meet initial requirements relating to PPWR, compliance and future EPR-requirements at an early stage. The focus is on practical applicability in day-to-day business.

This is particularly helpful for decentralized data structures and complex packaging portfolios. Check4Recycling helps to bring this information together in a comprehensible way and to derive specific action steps from it. To demonstrate the application as practically as possible, we offer our own live demos with concrete examples from practice.

Check for Recycling – A digital solution for the challenges of PPWR (live demo)

Our webinar will give you a practical introduction to the digital solution Check4Recycling. In a live demo, we show how companies can use the recyclability of Packaging easily, quickly and efficiently.

What you can expect:

• Introduction to Check4Recycling

• Overview of functions and possible applications

• Live demo of the application

• Assessment of the recyclability of Packaging

• Practical tips for efficient use

Dates:
June 11, 2026 | 10:30-12:00 a.m.
June 18, 2026 | 10:30-12:00 a.m.

The new EU packaging regulation has been keeping companies busy for months at various levels – regulatory, operational and economic. The practical implementation is often still uncertain. Now a concrete deadline is coming into focus: August 12, 2026.

From this point onwards, the first requirements of the PPWR binding. Particularly relevant here is the Declaration of conformity for Packaging. Companies must then be able to document in a comprehensible manner that their packaging meets the applicable requirements. This requires more than just a formal declaration: the decisive factor is clean packaging datatechnical documentation and transparency about the materials used and their recyclability. recyclability.

This is precisely where many questions currently arise in practice. Who is considered a producer or manufacturer? Which packaging must be checked first? What data is already available and what is still missing? And how do you prepare sensibly for new requirements relating to Packaging evaluation, recycling solutions and technical documentation, although some details of implementation are still open?

Our packaging engineer Jonathan Scheck talks about this in an interview with Retail Report ppractical insights. His view from a consulting perspective shows that many companies are no longer faced with the question of whether they need to take action, but rather how to approach the entry in a structured way.

The timetable makes it clear which topics companies should prepare for now.

2026 is the declaration of conformity will be the focus, followed by new labeling requirements from 2028, and from 2030 the requirements for recyclability, conservation of resources and certain types of packaging will become much stricter.

In order to provide companies with targeted support during the initial implementation steps, we are dedicating a separate webinar.

PPWR declaration of conformity – roles, obligations & our solution

The countdown is on: From August 12, 2026, the new declaration of conformity mandatory. In our compact webinar, we will show you what is changing, who is affected and the three steps you need to take to prepare for the Declaration of Conformity are particularly important.

What you can expect:

• What will change in concrete terms from 12.08.2026

• Who is considered a “producer” or “manufacturer”

• What obligations arise from this

• The three most important steps to the declaration of conformity

• What content the technical documentation should include

• Practical orientation for the first implementation steps

Date:
June 2, 2026 | 10:30 to 12:00 a.m.

With the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) coming into force in February 2025, it is clear that the requirements for packaging will become much more specific and verifiable. From August 12, 2026, companies will have to provide a PPWR declaration of conformity for all packaging placed on the market.

This provides clear proof that the packaging meets the legal requirements and may be placed on the market in the EU.

In concrete terms, this means that in future, companies will have to deal with the material composition, recyclability of Packaging and the proportion of recycled material in a structured manner. This information must not only be recorded internally, but also prepared in a comprehensible manner as technical documentation for the packaging.

All companies that are considered producers of packaging are obliged to do so, regardless of the industry or type of packaging. The PPWR requirements for companies stipulate that the declaration of conformity must be drawn up before the product is placed on the market and submitted to the authorities if required.

This raises the central question for many companies:

How can the requirements of the PPWR be efficiently integrated into existing processes and make Packaging PPWR compliant?

The challenge lies not so much in the individual document, but in creating a reliable database. After all, the PPWR declaration of conformity is only as good as the underlying information.

If you want to make your Packaging PPWR compliant at an early stage and reliably meet the requirements of the PPWR Declaration of Conformity, we will be happy to support you.