From Awareness to Action: Moving Forward Together with Sustainable Packaging
03-06-2025
As the person responsible for sustainability and innovation at Argos Packaging & Protection, Miquel van den Ende is engaged daily with the future of packaging. He attended the Sustainable Packaging seminar at Wageningen University & Research with a clear goal: to gain insights into the upcoming Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and its impact on their organization and customers.
A Reality That’s Quickly Approaching
“We’re a wholesaler, active in nearly every sector where packaging and protective materials play a role: from fresh produce and floriculture to industry and e-commerce. The new legislation – PPWR – affects them all. Especially the use of recycled materials, particularly in food packaging, presents significant challenges. The seminar was a perfect opportunity to check: are we on the right track?”
What Miquel appreciated was the diversity of the program: speakers from academia, government, and industry. But it was the audience that left the biggest impression: “You were sitting alongside producers, suppliers and end users. That created a real dialogue. We spoke openly about reality: what challenges are you facing, what works – and what doesn’t?”
Knowledge Partner in a Rapidly Changing Market
The role of wholesalers is evolving with the times. Miquel: “Our position as a knowledge partner is becoming increasingly important. Many companies lack the internal expertise to properly interpret the new regulations. We take that responsibility seriously. That’s why we invest in knowledge and actively share it with our partners.”From Awareness to Action
The seminar provided not only insights, but also concrete steps. “We’ve already scheduled a meeting with a company we met there. We also gained clarity on the new requirements that are coming, such as those regarding data and document management.”Moving Forward Together
The transition to sustainable packaging isn’t something companies can tackle alone, Miquel states. “You can’t do it on your own. You have to collaborate from producer to end user.It’s exactly that combination – being in dialogue with all links in the chain – that drives real progress.”
Source: Sustainable Packaging seminar – Wageningen University & Research.