Gerhard Schubert GmbH and the Berlin-based Berndt+Partner Group packaging consultancy joined forced for the Packaging Competence Center (PCC) project. The PCC is a new organization that brings together experts in regulation, packaging design, materials and automation technology, to provide advice on the development of sustainable packaging and on finding viable solutions for implementation.

The organization focuses  on meeting the challenges of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation PPWR and other sustainability issues. The Center can offer regulatory advice, packaging development and machine feasibility.

The PPWR aims to make the packaging industry more sustainable and to reduce the negative environmental impact of packaging waste. It also presents manufacturers with challenges coming from tight deadlines, different implementation timelines and unclear regulations.

Michael Graf, Head of the PCC and a sustainability expert at Schubert, comments on the new initiative’s focus areas: “Manufacturers are dealing with very practical considerations. What are the implications of packaging a chocolate bar in paper instead of a flowpack in the future? Or how does an existing cartoning machine run when blanks are resized, when they behave differently in the machine, or when they can no longer be glued? These issues are significant and require answers along the entire value chain.”

The Schubert packaging consulting team of specialists (from left to right): Pascal Kurz, Stefan Horvath, Michael Graf, Laura Gascho and Valentin Köhler. Photo credit: Schubert