Packaging is one of the biggest ecological problems of our time. The volumes produced annually, some 170 kg per capita in the European Union, overload current treatment capacities, leading to litter, overflowing landfills, waste in oceans and rivers and greenhouse gases. To tackle this problem, we urgently need to shift to a more circular economy.
With this project, The Shift, the Belgian sustainability focal point, wants to tackle this ecological issue by focusing on removing the barriers that prevent organisations from making more sustainable packaging choices.
In a first phase, we examined the problems that players in the packaging world encountered in order to opt for more sustainable packaging. We then prioritised the three biggest problems, which were inconsistent evaluations of circularity, siloed knowledge and confusing consumer information and education.
In the second phase, we organised brainstorming sessions with stakeholders from the packaging world and launched three pilot projects from these: The Eco-Evaluation, The Consumer Education and The Packaging Ecosystem.
The Shift
Partners Valipac, Accenture, OVAM, Vlaanderen Circulair, Brussel Leefmilieu
Organisations
The three pilot projects launched will be further developed under the guidance of their respective responsible organisations. The results of those projects will then hopefully inspire many new initiatives.