Post by Stefan Ziemann

🔄 Design for Recycling standardization is alive, well — and getting sharper. I’m at the moment sitting in the train (DB and on time-there is still hope )) and I’m reflecting on two very positive days with great experts from Germany. The last two days I joined the DIN mirror committee meetings for Design for Recycling of plastic packaging and all other packaging materials. Two committees, one shared direction, highly relevant. We discussed the current state of the published EN 18120 series and the TS series from CEN TC261 WG3 — documents that are already shaping how industry approaches recyclability by design under the EU’s secondary legislation framework. Three things stood out: 1. The expertise is holding. After more than three years of intensive work, the commitment in the room remains fully intact. That’s rare — and it matters enormously for the quality of future revisions. 2. Revision is the next frontier. The group is aligned: these standards and technical specifications need to continue to evolve. Industry needs living documents, not fixed snapshots. 3. Industry investment is real. This work is funded by industry — financially and in terms of human expertise. That’s not a footnote. It’s a signal of how seriously the sector takes the regulatory transition ahead. For any company navigating PPWR design-for-recycling requirements: these are the documents you want to understand. And these are the people shaping them. #Packaging #DesignForRecycling #PPWR #Sustainability #StandardsDevelopment #CEN #DIN #CircularEconomy