Weekly

‘The potential of plastic is far from exhausted’

18 November 2024

In this interview, we spoke to Lisa-Marie Getrost, a Danone packaging engineer, about the fascination of plastic, its poor image despite its enormous potential and the key to a functioning circular economy.

She already knew in year 10 that she wanted to work in the packaging industry one day. Lisa-Marie Getrost is now 27 years old. Following her Bachelor's degree in Packaging Technology, she completed a Master's degree in Packaging Development Management at Stuttgart Media University and has been working at Danone since August 2023. Danone is one of the leading manufacturers of food and medical nutrition in the DACH region, operating in four business areas: fresh dairy, plant-based products, natural mineral water and soft drinks, and early childhood and medical nutrition. She now works there as a Sustainability Reporting Specialist.

Mrs Getrost, how did your enthusiasm for plastics and plastic packaging come about? What do you like about this material?

I was fascinated from an early age by what is possible with packaging. And how many technical and design tricks can be hidden behind packaging that seems banal at first glance. This fascination is still there today. My interest in plastic recycling and sustainable packaging was finally awakened when I was studying the recycling of PET bottles and the processing of the recyclate obtained from them. To date, they are the only packaging that can be used to create a closed cycle. In other words, a bottle is made into a new bottle. Plastic remains the most important packaging material in the consumer goods industry. There is hardly any other material that can be processed so well and fulfils so many requirements that are placed on packaging.

What makes the plastics and packaging industry so interesting for young professionals?

In my opinion, the possibilities we have in dealing with plastics are far from exhausted. New types of plastic, methods for saving materials, sensible use of plastics, recyclability, recyclate or even recycling technology itself still have room for improvement - especially with all the attention that plastics are currently receiving in the packaging industry, for example due to the latest regulations. A functioning, closed-loop recycling economy is essential as a basic prerequisite. The more people who pursue this goal, the better.

Plastic packaging has a bad image. But what do they do (perhaps often behind the scenes) for consumers and the industry - and what potential do they still have?

The variety of foods available to us in German supermarkets would not exist without plastics. For many foods, there is currently no alternative that protects the shelf life and product safety of the food to the same extent. Plastics can keep unwanted gases and substances away from foodstuffs and at the same time allow them to be exchanged - something that no other material has been able to do so far. This is particularly important for highly sensitive products such as speciality medical foods and infant formula. Plastic also scores highly thanks to its low weight and compressibility, which is a major advantage, especially when transporting products or empty packaging.

What does innovation and transformation mean to you in the context of plastics, plastic packaging and an efficient circular economy? At what levels can companies like Danone make a contribution and where do they face challenges?

In my opinion, the major transformation in the field of plastic packaging is determined by recyclability. Plastics cannot be substituted, especially in food packaging. That's why we have to continue to maximise recyclability, as we have done with our Actimel bottles by removing the sleeves, for example. The cups of our Alpro yoghurt alternatives are also easy to recycle thanks to the removable paper sleeve. Nevertheless, it happens time and again that raw materials do not remain in the cycle due to inadequate separation and therefore the actual recyclability cannot be utilised.

About Lisa-Marie Getrost:

As a sustainability reporting specialist, Lisa-Marie Getrost is particularly concerned with implications relating to the end of life of packaging. This includes, for example, the legal framework at local and European level and the Single-Use Plastics Fund Act. An important task is the continuous monitoring of packaging weights and reporting to the Central Agency. She is also an expert on the recyclability of Danone's packaging in the DACH market. Through her calculations, she supports the company in developing recommendations for action and implementing measures in the area of packaging development and optimisation.

What do you see as the key to a functioning circular economy and therefore to greater sustainability?

We can achieve a functioning circular economy and therefore greater sustainability by working together along the entire value chain. Each player has a responsibility to maximise the circularity of the product in their own area. This includes raw material manufacturers, film manufacturers, distributors such as Danone, supermarkets and also consumers. Danone supports consumers, for example, with separation labelling on the packaging: On our Alpro yoghurt pots it says that you should remove the paper band from the pot before disposing of it. If everyone works together and takes responsibility for their scope of action, a lot can be changed.

Another important step is the expansion and improvement of the collection infrastructure throughout Europe. Standardised targets and measures play a particularly important role for multinational companies such as Danone. Basically, we all have the same goal: we want to make the world a little bit better.

Source: IK