Kiefel Packaging introduces the Design for Recycling programme, in which products are “rethought” together with the customer. The main objective: How to make their plastic products more sustainable..
“Each year approximately 100 billion USD of plastic packaging material value is lost to the economy,” says Erik Hodenpijl, CEO of Kiefel Packaging B.V. “To consider used plastic as resource rather than waste, is not only essential from a sustainability perspective, but also from an economical viewpoint.”
The future of plastics
The future of plastics becomes more and more clear. In a time where leading companies like McDonald’s, Unilever, Nestlé, Danone adopt their vision to make their products recyclable, reusable or compostable, many organizations are following their lead. Governments worldwide are initiating policies pointing to the same direction and providing the framework to make this happen. Kiefel Packaging takes an active role in supporting its customers with this sustainable vision.
Design for recycling
Equipped with a state of the art laboratory and over fifty years of experience in plastics and thermoforming, Kiefel Packaging has already been supporting their customers with product development and sustainability issues for many years. With the Design for Recycling programme, this expertise is bundled in a systematic approach to rethink the customers products.
“Together with our customers, we research and rethink every detail of the product, such as material, composition, product design, as well as the product itself,” Hodenpijl explains. “Based on thorough research , we provide the optimal solution. We support the customer in all steps of their product development cycle: From material and product composition, up to the optimal requirements for their tools and thermoforming process.”
Sustainable solutions
Solutions depend on the product and on the customer. “For example, we can advise how to design the product in a way that it is optimal recyclable by for example looking at optimizations in materials and material composition in terms of additives. We can also support in process development, for example when customers require higher amounts of regrind material in their products,” says R&D manager Marius van der Schans.
He continues: “But there are many more ways to support our customers. If you look at the strawless lid, you have a perfect example of a design solution, in which a plastic product (a straw) becomes dispensable. We also have customers that are investigating possibilities to change their material more drastically. For instance a change to paper, pulp or biobased materials like PHA or PEF.
The beauty of our Design for Recycling programme? There is a tailor-made sustainable solution for every product.”
For more information on this project contact
Marius van der Schans,
Kiefel Packaging BV,
Tilburgseweg 2a,
5161 DA, Sprang-Capelle.
T + 31 (0) 416 272395.
E M.v.d.Schans@boschsprang.com
