4evergreen releases expert-based guideline for how to produce packaging designed for recycling

Brussels, March 7 2022

The 4evergreen alliance has released its Circularity by Design guideline, the culmination of expert-led research and discussions to provide packaging designers with clear recommendations for how to make fibre-based packaging that is designed for recycling from the very beginning.

The Circularity by Design guideline was developed by 29 packaging design experts, and reviewed by 114 industry leaders. The guideline represents a critical step in building a circular future for fibre-based packaging.

Designing with circularity in mind means using the materials that aid an increasingly efficient recycling process. The 4evergreen guideline identifies precise recommendations for the design of fibre-based packaging according to the compatibility of different materials with the recycling process using the standard recycling process.

Hans Wortman, 4evergreen Chair and Head of PfR sourcing at WEPA Group said: “As an alliance, we are extremely proud of this achievement. Hundreds of hours and many resources have been poured into these guidelines, and this is down to the drive of our members to build a circular and low-carbon future.”

The guideline covers 7 components, including:

• fillers, additives and agents;
• barrier coatings and polymer content;
• inks and varnishes;
• adhesives;
• decorative metallic components;
• base material and alternative fibres; and
• product contamination or residual content.

The packaging industry, aware of its role in shaping a climate-neutral future, has been collaborating through the 4evergreen alliance to develop expert-led guidance across the entire fibre-based packaging value chain. The industry already boasts the highest recyclability rate but has demonstrated its commitment to a better future through its contributions to the alliance.

The alliance is currently finalising two further deliverables: a Recyclability Evaluation Protocol and Guidance on the Improved Collection & Sorting of Fibre-Based Packaging for Recycling. Collectively, this package of deliverables from the alliance will contribute towards the alliance’s overall ambition of perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging.

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