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How Plastic Packaging Can Truly Stay in the Loop

2025-07-31

“What does it take to make the plastics value chain truly circular?” This was the central question posed by Jörg Deppmeyer, managing director of sales at Cologne-based Der Grüne Punkt, at the Circular Valley Convention in Düsseldorf. His answer: shared responsibility, ambitious goals – and bold partnerships.

Shared responsibility in Germany’s dual system

Deppmeyer began with an overview of Germany’s dual waste management system. The responsibilities are clearly divided: while cities and municipalities handle the collection of residual and organic waste, dual system operators such as Der Grüne Punkt take charge of recyclable packaging – such as plastics and glass. “It’s a shared task,” said Deppmeyer. The disposal of paper and cardboard is also a shared task, as these often contain public print materials such as flyers and newspapers.

The role of The Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt)

Der Grüne Punkt acts as a key facilitator in the recycling loop. Financed through licensing fees from companies that place packaging on the market, the organisation coordinates the entire process – from collection and sorting to actual recycling. The goal: to recover high-value materials like aluminium or polypropylene and reintegrate them into new packaging. “Our job is to orchestrate the wheel of circularity,” said Deppmeyer. “We need reliable input and strong partners at every stage – collection, sorting, recycling, and reuse.”

With more than 34 years in the business and an annual turnover of €358 million, Der Grüne Punkt also advises companies on eco-design and compliance with the German Packaging Act, helping them align with sustainability standards.

Jörg Deppmeyer, managing director of sales at Cologne-based Der Grüne Punkt.
Image: „Der Grüne Punkt“

Progress and targets for lightweight packaging

Germany currently recycles around 68.9 per cent of its 1.3 million tonnes of plastic packaging annually – exceeding the legal target of 63 per cent. However, around 30 per cent of plastic is still incinerated, which means these resources are lost, Deppmeyer warned, urging stakeholders to aim higher. Der Grüne Punkt has set its sights on reaching a significantly higher recycling rate – a bold yet necessary ambition in the fight against resource waste.

Achieving this target will require keeping more recycled material in circulation. At present, much of the mechanically recycled plastic is used in non-food applications such as automotive and electronics. The vision: by 2030, all plastic products – at least in the non-food sector – should contain a minimum of 35 per cent recycled content.

Challenges in the food sector

One of the most critical areas for progress is the food sector, where a broad range of complex packaging types is in use – many of which are difficult to recycle with current technologies. “It’s crucial to develop complementary solutions for food applications,” Deppmeyer emphasised. Currently, less than 1 per cent of recycled plastic is used in food-related packaging. However, the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets an ambitious target: 10 per cent by 2030. Meeting this goal will require advances in materials science and recycling technologies that ensure both food safety and increased recyclate content.

Keys to a functioning circular economy

Deppmeyer outlined four critical factors for making the plastics economy genuinely circular:

Eco-design: Packaging must be designed with recyclability in mind. “Without proper eco-design, recycling is impossible,” he stressed, highlighting multilayer packaging as a typical design barrier.

Consumer behaviour: Households must sort waste accurately.

High-quality sorting: Advanced technology and infrastructure are essential to ensure purer material streams.

Investment in scaling recycling: Both mechanical and advanced recycling capacities must be expanded to manage complex materials – especially in food applications.

“We need complementary approaches – in addition to mechanical recycling – to give plastics a second life,” said Deppmeyer.

A call for closer cooperation

As a positive example of collaboration, Deppmeyer pointed to a project by Nestlé and Duo Plast: a transport film made using at least 20 per cent post-consumer recyclate from Germany’s yellow bag system. “An innovative milestone for secondary packaging,” he said – and added: “We need more of these.”

He also addressed politics and industry, calling for less bureaucracy, reliable legal framework and efficient, privately operated solutions. Above all, he urged stronger cooperation among all stakeholders. “Let’s scale up lighthouse projects and bring them to market maturity,” Deppmeyer concluded. Only then, he believes, can the vision of a functioning circular plastics economy become a reality.

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