Exploring New Horizons in Fibre-Based Packaging at the 4evergreen Annual Conference
4evergreen alliance
The 4evergreen alliance aims to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging to a circular and sustainable economy
On November 6, 2024, 4evergreen hosted its 5th Annual Conference in Brussels, inviting industry leaders, policymakers and sectoral stakeholders to discuss the future of fibre-based packaging. The event highlighted the importance of cross-value chain collaboration to achieve fibre-based packaging circularity, shaping 4evergreen's journey toward a more sustainable and climate-neutral society.
Sarah Price, Chair of 4evergreen, delivered the Conference's opening speech. She reaffirmed the Alliance's commitment to supporting the EU's green transition and advancing circular economy goals. She also highlighted the importance of collaboration across the entire packaging ecosystem in reaching the 2030 recycling target.
Maja Desgrées du Lou from the European Commission opened the first panel discussion. In her speech, she further emphasised the need for cooperation between industry and institutions to achieve these ambitious goals. She also focused on aligning the value chain to perfect the circularity of fibre-based packaging - a vision shared by all present at the event.
The first panel, moderated by Jack Parrock, featured prominent policymakers and industry leaders, including Patrice Audibert (European Parliament), Adly Manseri (Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU), Davide Braghiroli (Tetra Pak), Caroline Ploux (Mars), and Gilles Swyngedauw (CEN and CENELEC). They discussed the critical need for harmonisation within the packaging industry, advocating for precise, consistent standards that span the entire product lifecycle, from design to disposal. The panel emphasised that achieving a truly circular packaging system requires uniformity and cooperation across borders and sectors.
After the first insightful discussion, attendees had the opportunity to join breakout sessions, where experts from 4evergreen's Workstreams and Cross-Workstreams discussed practical strategies for improving packaging sustainability. Sessions led by Workstream 1, 2 and 3 Co-Leads such as Peter Hengesbach (Stora Enso), Johannes Zipfel (Delsci), Guillermo Valles (Aspapel), and Davide Braghiroli (Tetra Pak) allowed participants to dive deeper into the fibre-based packaging sector's specific challenges and opportunities.
The second panel, moderated by Susan Brunner (Mondi), brought together representatives from key industry associations, including Matti Rantanen (European Paper Packaging Alliance), Annick Carpentier (The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment), Sévrine Pereira Teixeira (Europen), Graham Houlder (CEFLEX - A Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging), and Ulrich Leberle (Cepi). This session focused on building a more robust dialogue between legislators and industry leaders to ensure that policy and business objectives are aligned. The panellists highlighted how legislative support and industry innovation are essential for creating a sustainable and competitive packaging sector.
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One of the most inspiring parts of the Conference was the "Circularity Success Stories" session, where members showcased their efforts in turning sustainability principles into actionable results. Highlights included:
The 4evergreen Annual Conference was a reminder of the power of collaboration in driving meaningful change. The discussions, panel sessions, and awards demonstrated that industry leaders and policymakers can create a more sustainable, competitive Europe that leads the way in fibre-based packaging with collective effort.
A huge thank you to all the speakers, moderators, and guests who made the event possible.
If you missed the Conference, you can watch the full recording here.
About 4evergreen
4evergreen is a cross-industry alliance perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging to contribute to a climate-neutral and sustainable society. Our goal is to raise the overall recycling rate of fibre-based packaging to 90% by 2030. We bring a particular focus on packaging with a lower circularity performance today, namely the types used for household, out-of-home and on-the-go consumption. The alliance brings together over 110 industry leaders from across the fibre-based packaging value-chain, from pulp, paper and board manufacturers and recyclers to packaging producers and converters, including brand owners, retailers, and waste management companies. It also comprises non-fibre material suppliers (e.g., adhesives, inks, coatings), technology providers (e.g., machinery, collection, and recycling solutions), leading research institutes and start-ups. Together they share expertise to develop tools and guidelines for an even more sustainable sector. Their goal is to reach a 90% recycling rate for fibre-based packaging by 2030.
Overall, our members employ 4.9 million people all over the world, with a consolidated annual turnover of over 2.4 trillion euros. All our members have set ambitious targets, clearly showcasing their commitment to addressing the most pressing global challenges. The host of the initiative is Cepi, the Confederation of European Paper Industries, headquartered in Brussels.
Innovator passionate about sustainable packaging, in 2024 co-leading 4evergreen's innovation workstream, responsible for strategy and innovation at Baumer hhs.
2 个月This was a fantastic event, excellently organized, and for me, the personal exchange with industry colleagues was the highlight. At the same time, I had the honor of taking on a new role within 4evergreen. 2025 will be an exciting year that will shape the packaging industry. Collaborative discussions and jointly developing guidelines make even more sense in this context.