Sustainability means partnership - only together are we stronger!

Preserving growth and prosperity, preserving the earth for future generations - this is what sustainability is all about. The term comes from forestry and means that only as many trees may be felled in a forest area as will grow back in the same period.

For the plastics industry, this means only processing as much plastic as can be collected and recycled at the end of the value chain. The entire industry is working on this, and the first successful steps toward this goal are already behind us.

But why stick with plastics at all? There are many good reasons for this, most of which are ignored in the public debate:

Plastic is climate-friendly

In contrast to paper and cardboard, the production of plastic emits significantly less CO2. Neither a lot of water nor heat - which is mostly obtained from fossil fuels - is needed for the production process.

Plastics stand for safety

From cucumbers to 1000-euro laptops - plastics protect valuable products from damage or extend their shelf life. Sure, vegetables don't have to be wrapped in foil - but then they spoil faster, are thrown away in larger quantities and have to be brought back to the supermarket shelf. The bottom line is a significantly worse environmental balance.

Safety also means a better quality of life. Hygiene products, for example, would be inconceivable without plastics - from baby diapers and sanitary towels to incontinence products. It's all about reliability and the good feeling of being able to take part in daily life without restrictions.

Plastic is easier to recycle

Recycling always works particularly well when the material to be processed consists of only one raw material - as is the case with many plastic products. Then, for example, packaging made of polyethylene can be reprocessed comparatively easily and returned to the materials cycle. The situation is quite different with many paper and cardboard packaging: These often consist of composite materials that first have to be separated at great expense before recycling.

On the way to a circular economy

For years, the RKW Group has been committed to the further expansion of the circular economy in trade organizations and industry associations. Specifically, we are working on projects to further increase the proportion of recyclate in our products while minimizing the use of raw materials. No easy task, and there is still a lot to do. When it comes to plastics recycling, the devil is in the proverbial details - the spectrum ranges from "decolorizing" printed used packaging to hygiene aspects in reprocessing and the introduction of take-back systems.

You can find out more about this in our sustainability report.

Director Sustainability & Communications
F: +49 621 180 38 211
Carsten.Lucassen@rkw-group.com

About the RKW Group

The RKW Group is an independent private company headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of excellent film solutions. RKW is the market leader in the areas of hygiene and agricultural films, films for the beverage industry and packaging for powdery goods. Moreover, the company also supplies films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and processing industries as well as for the construction sector. The RKW Group's sustainable plastic-based films enable its customers to improve the daily lives of consumers worldwide.

RKW employs approximately 3,000 people at 19 locations worldwide. In line with the company's slogan "When excellence matters", the company, founded in 1957, focuses on excellence in quality and service. Respect and reliability are RKW's core values and form the basis of the company's success.

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