As part of our Finalist Interview series ahead of the Sustainability Awards, RWTH Aachen University spoke to us about the EnEWA research project - a joint entry with Universität Siegen, LEIPA, PROPAKMA, STADLER and TOMRA Recycling - which developed and evaluated a recycling process for paper, board and paper composites, nominated in the Commercialized Driving the Circular Economy category.
You’re a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2024. Congratulations! To start off, could you summarize your entry, in less than 50 words?
In the EnEWA research project, we developed and evaluated a recycling process for paper, board and paper composites from lightweight packaging waste. As a result, an increase in recycling rates can be achieved and the environmental impact of the paper production can be sustainably improved.
Why do you think the judges were impressed with your entry? Tell us about what is innovative about your project and/or about its impact on packaging sustainability.
Today, in Germany and Europe, a significant amount of paper, board, and paper composites are being discarded in mixed waste collections such as lightweight packaging waste. So far, due to legal and technical limitations, this material is usually not materially recycled. This problem is reinforced by an increased amount of paper composite packaging, leading to increased material losses of paper and board in lightweight packaging waste.
Thanks to the recycling process developed in the EnEWA project, paper, board and paper composites from lightweight packaging waste can finally be recycled into high-quality paper products. Therefore, the material is treated in several process steps, including sorting, defibration, wet mechanical processing and hygienization, with a special focus on paper composites. The EnEWA project is thus making a decisive contribution to further closing the paper cycle and increasing sustainability in the paper industry.
Finally, can you tell us about the ongoing development of your project, e.g. how your innovation/initiative has been received by the industry, or what the next steps are in commercialization/product development?
Today, consumer protection risks expressed in the recommendation XXXVI. and DIN-EN-643 prevent extensive recycling of paper and board from lightweight packaging waste. In EnEWA, data was generated along the entire value chain, indicating that the developed recycling process can achieve paper qualities that meet the requirements for the usage in the food sector.
Therefore, the EnEWA consortium is currently in discussions with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) to enable the comprehensive recycling of paper and board from lightweight packaging waste also by legal regulations. As the production of paper-based packaging increases, so does the demand for new sources of paper and board for recycling.
Actors of the paper industry are planning to invest in the EnEWA-developed recycling process specialized for paper composites from lightweight packaging waste to meet those demands and to further close the paper cycle.
The winners of the Sustainability Awards 2024 will be announced at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place in Amsterdam on 12-13 November. The Summit mobilizes leaders of the FMCG value chain, policymakers, NGOs, recyclers and investors to collaborate, remove barriers and identify opportunities on the road to sustainable transformation.
To learn more or register, visit: https://www.packagingsummit.earth/2024
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