4evergreen showcases five ‘Circularity Success Stories’ at annual conference

Abstract image of circular economy — *(Courtesy of Getty Images)*

Five “Circularity Success Stories” were showcased Monday at 4evergreen’s annual conference in Brussels, Belgium.

4evergreen is an alliance of over 100 manufacturers, designers, brand owners, researchers and recyclers who want to contribute to a climate neutral society by perfecting the circularity and sustainability of fiber-based packaging. The goal is to reach a 90% recycling rate for fiber-based packaging by 2030.

4evergreen’s annual conference, “The Pathway to Circularity: from Guidance to Action,” was held Monday in Brussels and online.

The five Circularity Success Stories involved companies that Packaging Strategies reports on regularly, including Huhtamaki, Stora Enso, Tetra Pak and DS Smith.

The five Circularity Success Stories showcased during the conference were:

Addressing Recyclability Challenges: Aquapak Developing re-pulpable and bio-digestible barrier coatings for functional fibre-based packaging
Design for Circularity: SIG, SIG Terra alu-free full barrier
Improve Collection & Sorting: Huhtamaki, Seda, Stora Enso, McDonalds – The Cup Collective
Circularity Best Practices: Elopak – Tetra Pak – SIG – Palurec PolyAl Recycling Plant
Landmark Investments Project enabling our Key Targets: DS Smith, Fibre and Paper Development Laboratory, or “Fibre Lab”

The five Circularity Success Stories recognized at the conference were picked from a total of 22 inspiring projects that serve as vivid examples of how leading companies are turning 4evergreen's ambitious targets into reality. All 22 success stories will be included in a special publication.

Projects were carefully evaluated by a dedicated jury, guided by the following criteria:

Project or product that is already live/available
Concrete impact on sustainability/circular economy
Level of collaboration between members
Contribution to reaching the 4evergreen targets
Use of 4evergreen tools
Uniqueness/Innovative character of the initiative

4evergreen’s experts are finalizing a toolbox to equip Europe’s fiber-based packaging value chain with key guidance, recommendations and processes to tackle the sustainability challenge.