Using recyclable material is not enough; Setting up an ecosystem to enable recycling is more critical

Huhtamaki India, a leading provider of primary consumer packaging and labelling solutions in India, hosted the first India edition of its Think Circle. The forum facilitates an open discussion on the issues, challenges, and opportunities faced by the packaging value chain in achieving circularity.

Discussing ‘Redefining recycling systems through value chain innovations in the packaging industry’ were an esteemed set of panellists that included Yogesh Bambal, group leader, AMEA, Mondelez, Suraj Nandakumar, founder of Recity, Dr R Rangaprasad, business head at Packaging360 and Marco Hilty, president, Flexible Packaging at Huhtamaki. The discussion was moderated by Thomasine Kamerling, executive vice president of Sustainability and Communications at Huhtamaki.

“Whilst most food packaging can be recycled, many of today’s legacy assets that were designed to recover and recycle packaging need systemic improvements to ensure that food packaging is collected, sorted and recycled”, said Marco Hilty, president, Flexible Packaging at Huhtamaki.

“Building a material-positive system for fit-for-purpose food packaging cannot be achieved without innovation and collaboration. To improve material circularity, the first stage requires agreement on the materials to support innovation and open new possibilities. The second stage requires investments in fit-for-purpose infrastructure, which are the foundation of material circularity. Taken together, increased circularity and carbon reduction support our framework for action”, Hilty further added.

“Huhtamaki believes that food packaging is essential. By ensuring hygiene and the safety of food, packaging keeps food edible for longer and plays an instrumental role in driving access to affordable food for all, wherever they are in the world. Through Think Circle, we have created a platform for dialogue among key stakeholders to address the biggest challenges we face whilst creating a truly sustainable circular economy. The purpose is to build a more sustainable food and packaging industry, whilst also maintaining business objectives and strengthening the conditions for growth”, said Thomasine Kamerling, executive vice president of Sustainability and Communications at Huhtamaki.

Think Circle was launched by Huhtamaki globally in 2020 on its 100th anniversary to start an open dialogue with leaders from academia, business, NGOs and institutions to gather different views on what is needed today to address some of the biggest challenges we face in the creation of true and lasting sustainability.