INTERPACK REVIEW
EXPLORES AUTONOMOUS MATERIAL SEPARATION FOR RECYCLABLE PACKAGING SYSTEMS
THE FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE
Reported live from interpack by Kennedy’s Confection, Jonas Peter explored how next-generation mono-material and autonomously separable hybrid packaging concepts could help manufacturers satisfy tightening recyclability criteria under PPWR and Germany’s VerpackG legislation without sacrificing functional performance.
A t interpack’s SPOTLIGHT
Forum, Jonas Peter of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and
Packaging IVV presented a technically detailed assessment of emerging packaging structures designed to reconcile high- performance functionality with increasingly stringent recyclability requirements under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Speaking under the title “Sustainable
packaging solutions are recyclable – without compromise”, Peter focused on the growing regulatory and technical pressure facing packaging developers as recyclability assessment criteria move away from theoretical design assumptions toward real- world material recovery performance.
Central to the presentation was the
recyclability framework established under Germany’s Packaging Act (VerpackG), which specifies that packaging cannot
be classified as
recyclable based on the hypothetical dismantling of individual components after use. Instead, packaging systems must demonstrate practical compatibility with existing sorting and recycling infrastructures. The requirement presents a significant challenge for complex multi-material packaging formats, particularly where functional performance depends upon combining fibre-based and polymer- based components. “Sustainable packaging solutions are recyclable — without compromise,”
Peter stated at the outset of the session, acknowledging the deliberately provocative nature of the claim before outlining a series of research projects intended to demonstrate its technical feasibility. Throughout the presentation, Peter
repeatedly returned to the increasingly critical
interaction between material
science, packaging machinery and regulatory compliance. “In the future, machinery will move
more into the background,” he argued. “The packaging is dictated more by innovative materials and optimised packaging design.” The presentation framed PPWR not
just as a legislative challenge, but more as a catalyst for fundamental packaging redesign. According to Peter, future
22 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • MAY 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
