Innoredux and VerPlaPoS at the ICEC 2020

This year, the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Conference (ICEC) took place from 30.11. to 03.12.2020. In the online session "The untapped potential of packaging reduction in supply chains", Sabrina Schmidt (IÖW) for the joint project Innoredux as well as Britta Frommeyer and Julia Koch (both University of Münster) for the joint project VerPlaPoS each gave a presentation. The session and subsequent discussion were led by Doris Knoblauch and Linda Mederake (both Ecologic Institute).

In the first presentation, "Business models for reducing plastic waste along the value chain," Sabrina Schmidt presented selected research results from the Innoredux joint research project. The project develops innovative packaging solutions in distance and stationary retail to avoid plastic waste along the value chain. The presentation highlighted ways to change business models in the long term, where companies act proactively and strategically instead of just adapting individual business model components.

The joint project VerPlaPoS investigates the extent to which consumers can avoid generating plastic waste by making purchasing decisions at the point of sale. Among other things, consumer preferences for environmentally friendly and reusable packaging in e-commerce were analyzed. Britta Frommeyer and Julia Koch presented the results in the second presentation. In their outlook, they mentioned important criteria for packaging and alternatives, e.g. that information on environmental impacts should be given and packaging should be easy to dispose of. Basic requirements such as cleanliness and odor neutrality also play an important role.

Following the presentations there was a discussion in which the participants discussed questions such as:

• What are the barriers to innovation in retail?
• What are the problems with certain business models?
• What are promising regulatory options to reduce packaging in the supply chain?

This way, the session provided knowledge about the usually invisible amounts of packaging waste generated in supply chains and presented reduction options as well as innovative packaging alternatives. Furthermore, ways to develop more sustainable business models were highlighted. Both presentations are available for download [as pdf].