SUSTAINABILITY Waste management actors to co-pilot circularity for flexibles: They


believe better sorting leads to more recycling. Incentives for advanced recycling: To incentivise the highest


quality recycled material, up to food grade to reach full circularity, the companies believe it is crucial to invest in advanced recycling technologies. Commitment: Substantial investments in realisation of fully circular


flexible packaging. PepsiCo Europe chief executive, Silviu Popovici, said: “We want


flexible packaging to follow the circular path of plastic bottles – where we see high recycling rates and we can use up to 100% recycled content. But we need the right conditions in place to get there: widespread collection, high recycling targets, a ban on landfill and minimum incineration. This combined with investments to upgrade sorting and recycling in Europe should bring us to a circular economy and one step closer to a world where packaging never becomes waste” President foods & refreshment, Unilever, Hanneke Faber, said: “An


enabling legal framework is crucial to develop the right incentives to encourage innovation and scaling solutions, such as advanced recycling technologies. We are committed to working with various partners to develop new future solutions for a world without waste” Vince Gruber, president MEU, Mondelēz International, said: “We


strongly believe that the key to achieving these bold objectives is an efficient and effective infrastructure for packaging materials across Europe. Ambitious and enforced recycling rates will likely increase circularity and help prevent littering of packaging materials. Therefore, we are committed to support circular economy initiatives enabling recycling of flexibles.” Marco Settembri, chief executive Zone Europe, Nestlé, said: “Our ambition is very clear: we want and need to increase the circularity


of our flexible packaging. We are taking immediate action by stepping up investment in improved infrastructure with partners, as we have recently done in France, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK. Participants to the Initiative strongly believe in efficient waste management. This needs increased investment by the whole value chain focusing on the effective recycling of flexible packaging” Shaid Shah, global president food, multi-sales and global


customer, Mars, said: “Packaging plays a vital role in delivering high quality products to consumers and protecting food from going to waste. We believe all packaging materials should be part of a circular economy, which is why we are committed to investing in packaging design and stepping up our support for innovative infrastructure. As brands we have a responsibility to play our part, but we can’t realize this objective alone. We call on policy makers, waste managers and consumers to join us in eliminating packaging waste and creating a truly circular packaging economy for Europe.”


Will sustainability take a backseat in vending?


Managing director of quality disposables manufacturer and supplier, Herald, Yogesh Patel believes global uncertainty might see cost take precedent over sustainability in the short term. “Having reached a point where end-


user sensibilities around the issue of sustainability was driving purchase


choices in vending, and the ‘to go’ market, we’re now entering into unchartered territory. “There’s a huge amount of uncertainty


following two years living with Covid and the restrictions governments imposed; the UK’s position trading in Europe, post Brexit; and the current situation with


regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Where once any discord around the


greater cost attached to more eco-friendly products could be muted with stats and reports reflecting that consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable goods, people are now wary of price increases and general affordability has to be factored into the mix. “Sustainability may well temporarily


take a back seat for many suppliers in the immediate future as cost becomes the issue of the day. We’re being warned that we are facing the hardest economic times in our lifetime and so, while sustainability is by no means off the agenda for vending businesses, battling rising costs will be the most pressing concern for the majority. “At Herald, we’ll continue to offer a full


range of sustainable choices while retaining a competitive pricing structure - but we do expect to see some changes in the products most in demand in the coming months as the markets take on the strain of the inevitable increase in costs across the board.”


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