PPWR Rollout: Minimum Standards and the PET Tray Gap

How the flexpack industry is experiencing the first weeks of the PPWR

For many in the packaging industry, the end of September is the time to take stock: The PPWR has been effective since August 12 – and theory has turned into practice. What has changed since then? What are the benefits of the new minimum standard? And why are major brands increasingly turning to paper?

In the current issue of Flexpack News, Julian Thielen talks with Sebastian Ritter from TOPPAN, a manufacturer of high-barrier films. They discuss the mood following the launch of the PPWR, the virtually unchanged 2026 minimum standard, the persistently low recycling rate for PET trays, the shift toward paper by Mondelēz and a major brand consortium – and the question of how high barrier and genuine recyclability come together in mono-PP.

PPWR: Away from theory, into practice

A year and a half after its publication, the PPWR came into force on August 12, 2026. Have many knots been untied? Sebastian Ritter’s impression after the first few weeks is “honestly, very mixed.” On the one hand, the industry is not burying its head in the sand; on the other hand, everyone is now realizing that things are getting serious: the PPWR is no longer a thesis to philosophize about, but applicable law.

Julian observes a second wave: small distributors and trade associations in particular only woke up around the deadline. Anyone with their brand on small pouches is suddenly a packaging manufacturer and must present a declaration of conformity – accordingly, the outcry at this level was significant. In contrast, those who spent months preparing their portfolio and data took a day off on August 12 instead.

For TOPPAN, Sebastian views the new situation primarily as an opportunity: the company has been working on high-barrier films for mono-materials for a long time. Now that everyone is forced to make their packaging recyclable, this groundwork is paying off.

“The PPWR is no longer a thesis to philosophize about – it’s here, it’s law now.”
– Sebastian Ritter, TOPPAN

Minimum standard 2026: Waiting instead of restructuring

On August 31, the Central Agency Packaging Register (Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister) published the updated minimum standard – with a clear statement to change as little as possible this year. The reason: the PPWR delegated acts on recyclability are still pending, and no one wants to introduce rules that might have to be reversed shortly afterward. Consequently, there are hardly any changes for flexpack; Innoform even canceled a scheduled web seminar on the topic as a result.

Nevertheless, Sebastian noticed one detailed change: if the materials of a laminate are not fully compatible, packaging used to end up directly in the red zone. Today, it ends up in the yellow zone to begin with and has to pass a test. He leaves it open as to whether that is a good thing – anyone using certain adhesives or coatings cannot avoid the test, and those who fail are classified as non-recyclable.

Julian, who has been involved in the relevant expert panel of the Central Agency since 2020, puts the process into perspective: around 30 to 50 experts from across the entire value chain – manufacturers, suppliers, recyclers, across all materials – further develop the minimum standard in a cycle from roughly October to April. The recommendation will then be forwarded to the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), which places it up for public consultation. Major changes are rare during this phase. Originally, the text was heavily formulated from the perspective of the dual systems; the major revision two years ago made it significantly more user-friendly.

An example from the past illustrates just how close it can be: small-format flexible PP films were once in danger of losing their recycling status because they fell below the 20 per cent threshold – which was only withdrawn at the very last minute.

From PET laminate to mono-PP with SiOx

For TOPPAN, the minimum standard was initially a real challenge. The company has been manufacturing PET-based high-barrier films for around 25 years – predominantly with AlOx, partly with SiOx coatings, never classically metallized. Sebastian can pinpoint the turning point exactly: at FachPack in Nuremberg around six years ago, it became clear that multi-layer PET laminates had no future and that the market would shift towards single-material products..

Within one to two years, TOPPAN subsequently developed a SiOx-coated BOPP film and brought it to market. For a Japanese company that usually moves rather deliberately, that was remarkably fast – but in research and development, things can be switched over very quickly.

PET trays: Technically recyclable, sorted out in practice

The next news item concerns PET trays. According to a report by Cyclos-HTP and GVM, their recycling rate currently stands at around 17 % – and thus remains below the 20 % threshold of the minimum standard. As a result, PET trays are still considered non-recyclable in Germany. Only about two-thirds of the trays are designed for recycling in the first place, and only around 66 % are collected via the yellow bin (Gelbe Tonne). The 20 % threshold itself, Julian notes, does not actually have a well-founded derivation, but rather serves classification purposes.

Sebastian knows the issue from projects with tray manufacturers – such as a mono-PP solution for ready meals on airplanes, where TOPPAN supplied the high-barrier lidding film. The project ended around the time of Corona. His assessment: it’s not due to the material. PET is technically easy to recycle, but sorting plants often fail to recognize the trays and sort them out incorrectly. Large labels or PP lidding films exacerbate the problem further.

In addition, there are only a few specialized tray recyclers – too few for the sorting infrastructure to be consistently aligned with them. Julian’s conclusion: switching to PP trays remains worthwhile, especially with a view to the PPWR criterion “recycling at scale” across Europe.

Mondelēz and the brand consortium: Everything that can become paper will become paper?

Instead of PET or PP, things can also go in a completely different direction: Mondelēz is switching to paper trays for 115 biscuit products, saving around 2,200 metric tons of virgin plastic according to its own accounts. Eight brands in 25 countries are affected, including Germany – among them LU, Milka, Cadbury, Marabou, and Chips Ahoy!

In parallel, a consortium under the umbrella of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – including Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever – is pooling its R&D and testing capacities to scale paper alternatives for small-format flexibles. Especially for small sachets and pouches, many European markets still lack the infrastructure to recycle plastic flexibles. Economically, the move is by no means a guaranteed success so far: while licensing fees for paper are sometimes only one-sixth to one-seventh, packaging weight often doubles at the same time, and material costs increase significantly.

Sebastian interprets the trend primarily as a signal: the industry is looking for solutions that work today and are affordable. Nobody wants to wait for promises about what might be sorted in ten years – especially since the PPWR is exerting considerable pressure.

Recyclate in high-barrier films: Still a long way to go

But where is PP recyclate supposed to come from in the future if recycling volumes for PP flex are so low? For TOPPAN, using recyclate is particularly difficult because the films are used in demanding applications such as pasteurization and sterilization. At most, a recyclate content in the outer PP layer or in CPP would be conceivable. Currently, Sebastian sees no chance for this in their own films – but certainly with partner Irplast, which is already working with recyclate and whose films are compatible with TOPPAN’s barrier films.

In addition, there is the market: as long as virgin material remains so cheap and recyclates are comparatively expensive, the transition is hardly financially viable.

A critical look at paperization

TOPPAN has itself developed a heat-sealable high-barrier paper – So there is certainly an interest in paper. Nevertheless, Sebastian advocates taking a critical look at paperization: if paper first has to be elaborately coated with plastics to protect the product, it’s of little benefit, from an environmental point of view. In his view, genuine high-barrier paper alternatives do not yet exist today.

“What really should be considered: the right material for the right purpose. That is material fit for purpose.”
– Sebastian Ritter, TOPPAN

TOPPAN and Irplast: Simultaneously stretched BOPP films for retort applications

Italian BOPP manufacturer Irplast was acquired by TOPPAN last year. Irplast utilizes LISIM technology from Brückner: the film is stretched simultaneously in the machine and transverse directions instead of sequentially. This gives it special properties – particularly high temperature resistance, enabling hot filling and sterilization at approximately 121 to 131 °C, for example for pet food applications.

Their own barrier film GL FILM is independent of this: the BOPP base films originate from India and are coated with SiOx and a topcoat in the new plant in Most, Czech Republic, from where they are supplied to European customers. In terms of recycling technology, SiOx is considered harmless – Julian refers to it as an “expensive filler” for the recycler. According to Sebastian, tests with Interzero and Cyclos-HTP on a triplex laminate demonstrated recyclability of up to 95 %. TOPPAN is now going even further with partners, incorporating water-based printing inks and solvent-free adhesive systems to make the entire package more sustainable.

Outlook: INNO-Pouch in Barcelona

Together with a colleague from Irplast, Sebastian will present the solutions at the INNO-Pouch on October 8 and 9 at HP in Barcelona; TOPPAN is also represented as an exhibitor. This is the company’s first time participating. In addition to mono-materials and high barrier, Sebastian particularly wants to highlight industry collaboration: time is pressing, and true recyclability can only be achieved together. Anyone wishing to join spontaneously can find the complete agenda online.

Conclusion: The PPWR reshapes the market

This episode shows how much the industry has moved since the rollout of the PPWR:

• The PPWR has arrived in practice – including for smaller distributors who now carry manufacturer obligations.
• The 2026 Minimum Standard hardly adds anything new; everyone is waiting for the delegated acts on recyclability.
• PET trays fail less because of the material than because of collection and sorting.
• Major brands are opting for paper because they need solutions that work today.
• High-barrier mono-materials such as SiOx-coated mono-PP demonstrate that product protection and recyclability can go hand in hand.

The key question remains: Which material is best suited for this purpose? – technically, ecologically, and economically?

Frequently asked questions about this episode

Since when has the PPWR been effective?

The EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) has been effective since August 12, 2026, one and a half years after its publication. Anyone putting their brand on packaging is considered a manufacturer and must provide a declaration of conformity.

What does the 2026 Minimum Standard change for flexible packaging?

Hardly anything. The Central Agency Packaging Register adjusted the Minimum Standard only slightly on August 31, 2026, because the PPWR delegated acts on recyclability are still pending. For materials that are not fully compatible, there will initially be a testing requirement instead of an immediate downgrade.

Why are PET trays considered non-recyclable in Germany?

At around 17 %, their recycling rate is below the 20 % threshold set by the Minimum Standard. The primary causes are collection and sorting: only about two thirds of trays are collected, and sorting plants frequently fail to detect PET trays.

What does “Material fit for Purpose” mean?

The principle of choosing the material for each application that best fulfills product protection while also being readily recyclable – instead of, for instance, elaborately coating paper with plastics to achieve barrier properties.

What is special about simultaneously stretched BOPP films?

With LISIM technology, the film is stretched simultaneously in machine and transverse directions instead of sequentially. The films produced by Irplast in this way are particularly temperature-resistant and suitable for hot filling and sterilization.

The following automatically generated transcript may contain errors

Welcome

So, a warm welcome to Flexpack News, the late September edition – and with it, already looking ahead to October. We’ve basically made it through the summertime and the short summer break, which means we have a bit more to talk about. And once again I’m not alone; I have a great guest with me today: Sebastian Ritter from TOPPAN. Hi!

Hi Julian, glad to be here today. Thanks a lot for the invitation.

Cool. Where do I catch you right now?

Today is Friday. I’m finishing off the last few emails and, to be honest, also preparing for the INNO-Pouch – putting the final touches on the presentation. In fact, I was just on the phone with my colleague from Irplast to discuss how we’ll approach the whole thing.

Exactly, that’s a joint presentation the two of you will be giving at our INNO-Pouch in Barcelona on October 8 and 9 at HP. We’ll touch on that again at the very end, and then we’ll also look at what you’re currently offering at TOPPAN. Today we have a wide variety of topics: we’ll briefly dive into the PPWR, the German Minimum Standard, talk about PET trays, a switch by major brands toward paper, and then also about retort films from TOPPAN.

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Initial assessment after the PPWR rollout

The first topic is really just a quick recap, because August 12 marked the entry into force of the PPWR. The PPWR had been looming for much longer beforehand, but has now become effective one and a half years after publication. Sebastian, what have you noticed in the first, well, nearly month and a half since then? How do you perceive it in conversations with customers – have many knots been untied or is there still a lot of uncertainty?

To be honest, I wouldn’t say many knots have been untied. My initial feeling after these few weeks is very mixed. On the one hand, you notice that the industry isn’t burying its head in the sand. That’s important too. On the other hand, it’s also becoming clear that things are getting serious now. The PPWR is no longer a thesis you just philosophize about; it’s here, it’s finally law now. But that also means the atmosphere has shifted completely: away from theory and straight into practice.

For TOPPAN, this is actually a very good opportunity. We have been working on high-barrier films suitable for mono-materials for a very long time, and now, of course, everyone is forced to make their packaging recyclable. So this preliminary work is really paying off for us.

What I noticed: There are really many small distributors placing packaging on the market, trade associations, and so on, for whom the topic only came up around August 12th. Then suddenly it was said: Retailer Müller or Meier, who has his brand on the small bags, is suddenly considered the manufacturer of the packaging and has to provide a declaration of conformity. A big outcry, mostly at that level – I also noticed that through the media. Many others who were responsible all along for sorting out the portfolio and gathering the data rather took a vacation day or had their last working day before vacation on August 12th. Thank you for your practical insight.

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Minimum Standard 2026: Little New

I would like to dive into the first news item, regarding the minimum standard. It was re-published on August 31st. It was a clear statement from the Central Agency: We don’t want to change that much, the PPWR is coming, and the delegated acts on recyclability are still missing. That’s why not much should be changed this year. How have you dealt with the minimum standard in practice over the last few years? It started around 2018 with a recommendation letter, then in 2019 it became the minimum standard and evolved immensely. What touchpoints did you have with it at TOPPAN?

For us as a high-barrier film manufacturer, it was quite challenging, I have to be honest, because we originally manufactured high-barrier films based on PET. We have been making these films for a long time; we introduced them 25 years ago or so. And then suddenly having to tackle this sustainability topic, that was quite a shift for us. We then realized that the market would switch to mono-materials.

Looking back, when was that moment when you said: Okay, these PET multilayers stand no chance anymore?

I can tell you exactly. That was at FachPack in Nuremberg about six years ago, around 2020. That was when it really became clear to us: We have to do something. We immediately started experimenting with BOPP films and actually managed to develop and market a BOPP SiOx-coated film within one or two years. That was a decisive turning point for us. TOPPAN is a Japanese company that generally moves very slowly, but not in R&D. That is an advantage for us; we can pivot very quickly there. We did just that, and that’s why we are where we stand today.

As far as the minimum standard is concerned, this is also an opportunity for us because we are heading down the mono-material track. I think what we now need to focus on is that the materials must be perfectly compatible. I noticed in the updated minimum standard: Previously, if the materials weren’t perfectly compatible, you immediately ended up on red. Today, that’s a bit different; now you first end up on yellow, but then you have to pass a test.

Exactly, they reformulated that a bit.

I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not. If you continue to use certain adhesives or coatings, there’s no way around this test. But there is also a downside: If you fail, the packaging is considered non-recyclable.

Was the decision back then away from PET towards PP-SiOx also a decision away from PET-SiOx or from metallized PET? Those are basically two completely separate topics again.

Good question. We had both: mainly PET-AlOx films and also a PET-SiOx film. But essentially it was the AlOx technology – not classic aluminum metallization, but always AlOx or SiOx. With PP, it is now exclusively SiOx.

I was lucky enough, I think starting in 2020, to be part of the expert group that further develops this minimum standard. For anyone who hasn’t seen it this way yet: The minimum standard is developed in an expert committee of the Central Agency. There are 30, 40, 50 people from the entire industry, across all materials – flexible plastics, glass and so on –, recyclers, manufacturers, suppliers. Innovations are developed and discussed together there. The work always starts in October or November and is completed in April; those are the work cycles.

Initially, the whole thing was phrased in a very user-unfriendly way. That’s why two years ago there was a major change, where the entire concept was revamped so that packaging users and those who ultimately have to evaluate the packaging can understand it better. When the thing first came out, it was formulated for dual systems and read like it too. It was really only understandable if you were an absolute packaging or recycling nerd: You had to be familiar with the material stream numbers and have a deep understanding of materials. That has now been simplified a bit, which the Central Agency built upon last year.

Now they have held back and don’t want to tackle much because there is naturally a great fear that the whole thing will have to be rolled back once the delegated acts of the PPWR arrive. For flexpack, there are generally incredibly few innovations included. By now, there is a fairly long list of clearly formulated materials and how they are to be evaluated, but here, too, there haven’t been any real changes. We actually planned to hold a web seminar on this. However, I canceled it because there are no changes that would justify a paid seminar. This also shows that, on the part of the Central Agency, a wait-and-see approach is the order of the day for now.

To outline the process to the end: Once the expert committee has established the new minimum standard, it goes to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) as a recommendation. The UBA then submits the whole thing to the public as a consultation process, and you have, I believe, two months to submit comments. However, very little ever changes at that stage. I had the feeling that the UBA intentionally included critical points to wait for public opinion. As a participant, you already knew at the beginning which points were on the brink. I remember once it was about PP flex potentially losing its recyclability status because it fell below the 20% threshold. That was withdrawn at the last second, so small-format PP flex films continue to be considered recyclable.

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PET Trays: 17 Percent Recycling Rate

That leads us to the next news item, which is about PET trays. You were involved in PET at least at one point. PET trays remain below this 20% mark and are therefore considered non-recyclable in Germany. In the minimum standard, we have this 20% threshold, which was introduced at some point without a truly sound rationale. Certain thresholds were taken to establish a classification. Currently, the recycling rate for PET trays stands at 17%. The report by Cyclos-HTP and GVM also stated that only about two-thirds of PET trays are designed for recyclability in the first place, and initially only 66% of the trays are collected, i.e. end up in the yellow bin. Looking at PET trays, also compared to PP or PE trays: Is that a direction TOPPAN is taking, or are you operating purely in the flexibles market?

We even had some projects with mono-PP trays, and that was very interesting. The original design was an APET or CPET tray with a heat-sealable PET film and a PET high-barrier film on top for ready meals on airplanes. What was exciting was that everything was then designed out of mono-PP.

Do both the bottom web and top web come from you in such cases?

No, only the film, the top web. We do manufacture PET trays in Japan, Southeast Asia, and now also in the US, but not in Europe, so that’s not really in my area of responsibility. The projects with converters producing such trays are naturally interesting. But as you mentioned, people then dropped out. Unfortunately, this project came to an end shortly before or during COVID. I believe it’s actually not due to the material itself, but simply due to sorting. Technically, PET is great to recycle, but sorting plants often don’t recognize these trays as PET, which is why they frequently end up on the wrong pile.

This is also shown by what remains at the end of sorting. If we have a large label on it or a PP lidding film, the tray might be incorrectly recognized, even though from a recycling standpoint that is actually better – a PE or polyolefin top web can be removed later during density separation. But if sorting causes issues beforehand, that doesn’t help. And heaven knows there are still very few real tray recyclers out there, one in the Netherlands and maybe one or two smaller ones, but not enough to scale up sorting infrastructure as needed. Therefore, I also see that switching to PP trays remains worthwhile, especially internationally. Under the PPWR, there will eventually be “Recycling at Scale”, and if things don’t look too rosy in Germany with existing projects, the question is how it will look in continental Europe.

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Mondelēz and the Brand Consortium: The Path to Paper

However, there is more than just PET instead of PP, which brings us to the next news item. It comes from Mondelēz: The company is switching to paper trays for 115 different biscuit varieties, thereby saving 2,200 metric tons of virgin plastic, according to its own figures. This applies to eight brands in 25 countries, including Germany – among them LU, Milka, Cadbury, Marabou, and Chips Ahoy!. Question for you: Is one of your favorite biscuits among them?

Not really. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, thank goodness. I prefer salty snacks, if anything, or a good piece of chocolate. Biscuits aren’t really my thing.

My Oreo is tray-free, so I can put that on my list and save on primary raw materials. But here again, it’s a huge sign. I have the feeling that long-term: anything that can become paper will become paper. Can you put it that drastically?

If it’s technically possible, why not? At TOPPAN, we really believe in “material fit for purpose”—that’s a core principle. But in the case of Mondelēz and this biscuit tray, I think the industry is looking for solutions that work today and are affordable. The industry doesn’t necessarily want to wait any longer for better sorting plants. The message is clear: no one is in the mood for promises about what might be sorted in ten years’ time. Brands are acting now, also because PPWR is applying a lot of pressure.

And something else goes hand in hand with this: there’s an initiative around the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a flexpack consortium with Colgate-Palmolive, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever—basically all the big players out there. They’re saying: We are pooling our R&D and testing capacities to scale paper alternatives, especially for small-format flexibles. Because switching to paper is still very much a cost issue today; in some cases, we’re seeing massive price increases. On the other hand, minimum standards and eco-modulation offer lower fees: if you suddenly end up in paper, you sometimes pay only a sixth or a seventh of the costs. At the same time, though, the weight doubles. Ultimately, moving to paper hasn’t been an economic advantage so far. But there is a huge commitment from all the major brands, and they are also calling on others to join.

They also talk about doing this primarily for products and markets where there simply is no recycling market for smaller films. We see the same for PP: for small sachets and smaller pouches, there is still incredibly little infrastructure across Europe. In the UK, I have to take flexibles to the supermarket—they aren’t even collected from kerbside. Every new sorting plant that gets built does sort out PP flex, but the volume that actually comes out at the recycler’s end is extremely low. Where will PP get its recyclate from in the future? How can this market for PP recyclate be established? Do you have ways, means, or plans for how the quotas for PP flex can be met?

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Recyclate in High-Barrier Films

For us, of course, that’s very challenging because we operate in technically demanding applications, namely pasteurisation and sterilisation. Incorporating recyclates into the film is really difficult there. If you look at hot-fill or retort pouches, you would have to ensure that either the outer PP layer or possibly the CPP contains a recycled content. But for us, it’s really hard to integrate something like that into our films. Currently, I don’t see an opportunity there; instead, we have to look to our partners at Irplast. They are already working with recyclate in their films, and those in turn are compatible with ours.

So we are working on it, but I also believe the recycling market is currently struggling significantly. Prices for recyclates compared to virgin materials simply fluctuate too much, and recyclates are too expensive—nobody wants to pay for that. If virgin plastic prices remain this low, making that switch will be difficult.

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High-Barrier Paper and “Material Fit for Purpose”

This consortium says it wants to use paper for the right applications. But barrier capabilities in paper are limited. You also manufacture high-barrier films for retort and other applications, and paper as it can be equipped today simply isn’t there yet. What exactly are you doing there? You also just mentioned your partner Irplast.

Paper is one thing. TOPPAN has actually developed a high-barrier paper that is heat-sealable. So it’s not that we have no interest at all. But we don’t really think it’s worth processing a material like paper so heavily just to give it plastic properties. In my opinion, genuine high-barrier paper alternatives don’t exist today.

Apart from that, I think we also need to critically question the shift towards paper in the market. If you first have to coat paper in a super complex way with plastics to protect the product, I hardly believe you gain anything ecologically. That’s why we focus more on fully recyclable mono-material films that protect the product better and are also much easier to recycle. What should really be considered is using the right material for the right purpose. That is “material fit for purpose”, as we like to call it.

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TOPPAN, Irplast, and Simultaneously Stretched BOPP Films

You also mentioned the partnership that you will be talking about at INNO-Pouch in Barcelona. What’s behind that?

Irplast is an Italian BOPP manufacturer acquired by TOPPAN last year. Irplast has LISIM technology from Brückner.

Sorry, which technology was that again?

LISIM. It allows them to produce a film that is stretched simultaneously in machine direction and transverse direction. Normally that happens sequentially, but with them it works simultaneously. As a result, the film can acquire special properties. They also specialize in films that are highly heat-resistant and can therefore be used for hot-fill or sterilisation. That’s what makes it all so compatible.

For sterilisation processes, we are talking about at least 121 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes?

Yes, around 120 to 131 degrees, depending on the application.

And then it goes into pet food applications. Do you produce both the base substrate and the coating?

No, Irplast’s films are completely separate from our GL Film. We manufacture GL FILM elsewhere. We receive BOPP base films from India and send them to our new production facility in Most, Czech Republic. There, they are coated with SiOx, followed by a topcoat, and from there they are dispatched to customers.

So the European market is ultimately ready for highly recyclable, SiOx-coated PP films. And SiOx itself is completely unproblematic in terms of recycling. I once referred to it as an expensive filler for the recycler because it’s transparent and minimal. I’m not aware of any negative impact on recycling either.

No. We’ve conducted various tests with Interzero and Cyclos-HTP. That wasn’t just a test of our film, but of a triplex laminate, and if I recall correctly, we achieved up to 95% recyclability. Today, it goes even further. We collaborate with many other companies and suppliers, and today we can even use water-based printing inks as well as solvent-free adhesive systems. With that, we go a step further: not just mono-material, but also considering which adhesives and which inks are used so that we can make the entire packaging more sustainable.

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Outlook for INNO-Pouch in Barcelona

Cool. And you will be presenting all of this in two weeks at INNO-Pouch at HP in Barcelona. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to spontaneously join the event. We’ll be at HP in Barcelona for a day and a half, getting insights into the Digital Pouch Factory; Sebastian will be speaking, a colleague from Irplast is coming along, and you’re also among the exhibitors. So there will be room for deeper discussions. Feel free to check out the full agenda online—super international. Sebastian, what are you looking forward to the most?

It’s our first time participating. I’m definitely looking forward to INNO-Pouch because it will show how flexible packaging is realigning under PPWR conditions. Mono-materials are becoming even more important, and the question is: Who can deliver true recyclability and high barrier? That is precisely our focus, and we’ll be addressing it. But what we also want to emphasize is industry collaboration. That is extremely important to us because time is ticking right now. We all need to pull together; otherwise, we simply won’t manage.

Exactly, coopetition is the key word: everyone has to work together for a better outcome. I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you for your time here at Flexpack News and for your practical insights, and I wish you and everyone a great weekend.

My pleasure, it was great speaking with you, Julian. See you soon in Barcelona. Have a wonderful weekend too.

Thanks, bye!