Speaker: Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum

Company: Circular Valley

Title: Plastic – Paper – Propaganda – From Doubtful Solutions to Sustainable Product Design

Language: German

Abstract: More and more packaging for fast-moving consumer goods is made from paper or cardboard. Plastic is obviously seen as a material of concern, in particular for single-use packaging. This development is supported by the trend to solid product applications replacing liquid product forms. Solid shampoos and soap bars in carton packaging substituting liquid shampoos and liquid soap. Quite often with negative impact for the convenient product application, too. Strong consumer interests for water free products on the one hand together with a preference for packaging without plastic seems to be the drivers of this trend. And manufacturers promote these properties as single features or in combination. And partially also as progress in sustainability. And for products which could not be offered as solids, so called “paper bottles” are regularly announced as sustainable solutions.

Which materials are really the best ones for which application? How can the efforts for a holistic sustainable design for content and packaging be guided in the right direction? Which general and which new principles need to be considered? Which existing and upcoming regulatory has to be taken into account?

The presentation shows an innovative pathway for successful sustainable product design – for content and packaging as a holistic system. All facts will be included, from recyclability via environmental footprints for packaging and content, the toxicological risks till degradability. A set of indicators as guidelines already for the product development phase can be derived, which can be afterwards transferred into a parameterization which is easily to understand for consumers and which can be used for product claims for that reason.