The FLUSTIX blog

News from the plastic-free market and research

Which seals will still be allowed in the future? 1024 410 Anna Holzapfel
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Which seals will still be allowed in the future?

The six most important questions and answers about the new EU directive   What exactly will be banned in the future? Fake seals: affixing a sustainability seal that is not based on a certification system or has not been introduced by public authorities Unsubstantiated claims: Making a general environmental claim without being able to provide…

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Expert warns: Retail chains drive recycling companies into bankruptcy 1920 768 flustix
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Expert warns: Retail chains drive recycling companies into bankruptcy

German recycling companies are under pressure: the sharp rise in production costs is offset by a consistently high price for used PET bottles and flakes. The reason is obvious: despite increased prices for crude oil, fresh plastic is still cheaper than recycled material. For example, one metric ton of PET for packaging cost 1450 euros…

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Sustainability seals are the most important source of information when shopping 1920 768 flustix
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Sustainability seals are the most important source of information when shopping

The trend reversal in shopping has obviously arrived at shopping baskets. According to a recent survey, the majority of consumers now pay attention to sustainability when selecting products. The most important decision-making aids are credible certificates and seals. Six out of ten consumers always or at least frequently pay attention to the ecological, economic or…

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How plastic-free is Veganuary? Retailer tests a new method to avoid packaging waste 1920 768 flustix
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How plastic-free is Veganuary? Retailer tests a new method to avoid packaging waste

By Carsten Gensing The vegan boom is not coming to an end: According to the latest surveys, the number of consumers of vegan foods continues to rise sharply. The development is fueled by the Veganuary. The vegan new year challenge runs at present on full speed. One thing is certain: vegan nutrition is more sustainable…

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On the Baltic coast, an initiative is working hard to create the first plastic-free city in Germany 1920 768 flustix
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On the Baltic coast, an initiative is working hard to create the first plastic-free city in Germany

By our author Carsten Gensing From the far north comes an initiative with spectacular goals: A former caterer and his team are working hard to realize the vision of a plastic-free city in their homeland. The initiative’s approach is as simple as it is promising: They are achieving measurable success with an everyday tool, and…

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Fruit madness: German supermarket chain sells Chineese grapefruits sealed in plastic 1920 768 flustix
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Fruit madness: German supermarket chain sells Chineese grapefruits sealed in plastic

Citrus fruits are important in winter: the high vitamin C content helps us prevent and relieve colds. The pink pomelo, also called the “Chinese grapefruit”, promises a particularly high vitamin content. Most of the pomelos offered in Germany in winter come from China, which in itself is a problem. Transporting fresh fruit over such a…

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This is how the mandatory offering of reusable packaging works 1920 768 flustix
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This is how the mandatory offering of reusable packaging works

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection explains the most important rules of the new law. Reusable alternative must not be more expensive than disposable “Restaurants, bistros and cafés that sell food on the go will be required to offer their products in both disposable and reusable packaging from 2023. A reusable…

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The right to repair? How Apple is trying to undermine the new EU law 953 375 flustix
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The right to repair? How Apple is trying to undermine the new EU law

ATTITUDE WITH BISS At the start of the new mandatory reusable offer for food and beverage containers, we have to state after a few days: The thing runs sluggishly. The efforts of most catering establishments to get the cycle going are limited. Consumer demand seems to be low at the moment. No wonder, who would…

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The new reusable cup law in a practical test: How are things going with the new deposit cups at a train station, Mcdonald’s, and Burger King? 1920 768 flustix
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The new reusable cup law in a practical test: How are things going with the new deposit cups at a train station, Mcdonald’s, and Burger King?

The new mandatory offering of reusable packaging has been in force since January 1, 2023. Businesses must now offer consumers reusable alternatives for food and beverages they take home. How does that work? We from flustix have looked around and made a first practical test. At Dunkin’ Donuts, the disposable cup rules The lobby of…

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Putting an end to throwaway fashion: How France is countering the fast-fashion craze 1920 768 flustix
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Putting an end to throwaway fashion: How France is countering the fast-fashion craze

The trend is unbroken: With ever new collections for little money, international cheap fashion producers are firing up the clothing market. The result: textiles are often of inferior quality, short-lived and unsuitable for recycling. The social aspects are also devastating: The seamstresses in the Asian production countries are treated and paid inhumane – which is…

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Why don’t people in the fitness center generate electricity when they exercise? 1920 768 flustix
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Why don’t people in the fitness center generate electricity when they exercise?

To slow down the climate catastrophe, we need more green electricity, there are no two opinions. Wind power plays a significant role. Photovoltaics is becoming more and more effective and important, especially in private households, significant savings can be achieved. But what about kinetic energy, that is, energy of motion? If we can generate electricity…

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Independently certified: start-up develops plastic alternative from plastic-free raw material 1920 768 flustix
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Independently certified: start-up develops plastic alternative from plastic-free raw material

INNOVATIONS This innovation is causing a stir: The Hamburg-based start-up traceless has developed a plastic-free alternative to plastic and bioplastics. The new material is bio-based but does not consume any food resources; instead, it is made from plant residues from the agricultural industry. Well-known corporations are cooperating with traceless. These include the online retailer OTTO…

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Fast fashion madness: What Greenpeace discovers in cheap children’s fashion from the world’s largest online retailer is appalling 1920 768 flustix
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Fast fashion madness: What Greenpeace discovers in cheap children’s fashion from the world’s largest online retailer is appalling

Fast fashion is one of the biggest environmental sins that happens every day and is uncontrolled on our planet: Hundreds of thousands of pieces of low-quality textiles are put into circulation every day. In particular, one Chinese online giant is dumping the cheapest textiles, primarily on children and young people. The environmental organization Greenpeace calls…

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The best second-hand markets for Christmas gifts 1920 768 flustix
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The best second-hand markets for Christmas gifts

Millions of Germans now buy, sell and swap their used items – sometimes quite classically at the flea market or online via Internet marketplaces. flustix explains where to find the best clothes, toys, electronics, books or even stuffed animals on the Internet – and shares a few gift ideas. Secondhand, still good: skates, baby toys,…

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German start-up invents method to recycle polyester from textiles 953 375 flustix
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German start-up invents method to recycle polyester from textiles

INNOVATIONS Polyester-containing blended textiles are widespread, but also problematic – because until now, there has been no practical way to separate and recycle blended fabrics. That could now change: A German start-up has for the first time presented a technology that can be used to produce new polyester yarn from used clothing. “This is a…

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The flustix top 5 2022: pain in the neck of the nation, bags from grass, solid shampoos, and a phenomenon that really annoys everyone 1920 768 flustix
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The flustix top 5 2022: pain in the neck of the nation, bags from grass, solid shampoos, and a phenomenon that really annoys everyone

Since April 2022 the flustix newsletter is published – since then we are happy about new subscribers and your growing interest every month. Thank you! At the end of the year, we would like to share our favorite stories from 2022 with you. Here are the top five stories of the flustix editorial team. 5.…

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Toilet paper without a cardboard sleeve: Ingenious climate-saving coup or cheap greenwashing? 1920 768 flustix
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Toilet paper without a cardboard sleeve: Ingenious climate-saving coup or cheap greenwashing?

It sounds brilliant at first: toilet paper king Zewa produces toilet paper without a cardboard sleeve – and thus promises “40 percent less waste”. The technology is conceivably simple: the paper is simply rolled around itself. “Zewa Smart” has “twice as many sheets on the roll”, in the end “no waste remains”. We ask ourselves:…

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The flustix forecast for 2023: more innovations, fight against greenwashing, less packaging 1920 768 flustix
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The flustix forecast for 2023: more innovations, fight against greenwashing, less packaging

ATTITUDE WITH BISS The EU Commission has launched a strengthening of the Packaging Regulation. A really big thing, bold and ambitious. The central innovations: The proportion of primary raw materials in packaging material is to be drastically reduced and replaced by recyclates. Very good! The greenwashing with so-called bioplastics should be stopped, and the production…

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New EU packaging regulation: The effects are particularly drastic for shopping and traveling 1920 768 flustix
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New EU packaging regulation: The effects are particularly drastic for shopping and traveling

The EU is putting on pressure: waste-intensive packaging is to be banned, reusable and recycling solutions massively promoted – for this, the responsible Commission has proposed a revision of the EU guidelines for packaging waste. Certain packaging, which was previously taken for granted in our everyday lives, will even be banned altogether in the future.…

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Greenwashing and microplastics alarm: the German World Cup jersey business failed completely 1920 768 flustix
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Greenwashing and microplastics alarm: the German World Cup jersey business failed completely

The German national team has already bowed out of the World Cup in Qatar after the preliminary round – an embarrassment for fans, and an economic disaster for the sponsor Adidas. The World Cup is usually a booster for the lucrative business with Germany’s jerseys. This year, however, everything went wrong. Even before the team…

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Secondhand for Christmas? Nine reasons why used gifts bring joy 1920 768 flustix
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Secondhand for Christmas? Nine reasons why used gifts bring joy

You want to conserve resources, escape the Christmas rush and also save money? Then try secondhand Christmas gifts. Having a hard time with that? Then read through these nine reasons. By our author Ulrike Seidel 1. Pre-owned gifts often have that certain something. It may sound surprising, but second-hand gifts are often more original and…

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Christmas 2022: Second-hand is in full trend 953 375 flustix
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Christmas 2022: Second-hand is in full trend

By our author Ulrike Seidel The neighbor’s child’s used bicycle, a puzzle from Ebay classifieds or grandpa’s old violin – many parents will put a secondhand gift under the Christmas tree this year. To save money, protect the environment and because it might feel a bit like the old days. But are secondhand toys really…

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Climate crisis: Why are we looking away, even though we can still prevent the catastrophe? 1920 768 flustix
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Climate crisis: Why are we looking away, even though we can still prevent the catastrophe?

The Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up” is polarizing. If you look at the various rating portals on the Internet, you will notice that there are only a few differentiated ratings – but the number of top and flop ratings is high in each case. This phenomenon also describes the state of our society. While some…

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Microplastic-free, no particulate matter: ZEDU-1 to become the greenest car of all time 1920 768 flustix
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Microplastic-free, no particulate matter: ZEDU-1 to become the greenest car of all time

Cars keep on being major polluters: Not only exhaust gases, but also particulate matter and microplastic emissions are among the causes of mobility-related environmental pollution. A prototype designed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is intended to remedy this situation: Together with two specialist companies, the institute has developed a vehicle that could become the…

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Five pieces of news that give hope that we can still save the climate 1920 768 flustix
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Five pieces of news that give hope that we can still save the climate

The daily news about extreme weather disasters, deadly forest fires, melting glaciers and climate crisis denying heads of state are inflationary and disillusioning – we from flustix therefore also look at the positive things. Here are five pieces of news that give us hope that our efforts for a better world are worthwhile. Measures against…

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Lost in the label jungle? How (un)familiar green labels really are 1920 768 flustix
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Lost in the label jungle? How (un)familiar green labels really are

Bio and vegan, MSC and Oekotex: on the yogurt pot, the sock wrapper or the glass cleaner – small colorful sustainability seals are now plastered everywhere, often even several next to each other. Can anyone still see through all this? The news portal Utopia, which specializes in sustainability, asked 3002 participants online for a label…

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Greenpeace trackers expose illegal waste exports from Germany 1920 768 flustix
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Greenpeace trackers expose illegal waste exports from Germany

Do German companies continue to export plastic waste to Turkey and Southeast Asia despite the ban? Research by Greenpeace suggests that they do: using trackers, the environmental protection organization has followed plastic waste shipments from Germany. About a third of the samples ended up abroad. One trail leads to Turkey With the hidden tracking devices,…

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Acting ecologically and socially: flustix joins the German Sustainable Business Association 1920 768 flustix
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Acting ecologically and socially: flustix joins the German Sustainable Business Association

Ecology, social issues and economic efficiency belong together: This is proven by the German Sustainable Business Association BNW. Founded in 1992, the association differs from other classic business associations. Because the acting boards are not employees of the association, but personally liable partners, managing directors or owners of their own companies. What does the association…

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Greenwashing? Customer sues the fast-fashion giant H&M 1920 768 flustix
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Greenwashing? Customer sues the fast-fashion giant H&M

The Swedish fashion company H&M is facing a serious lawsuit in the USA. The accusation of a customer: Greenwashing. H&M had falsely declared the sustainability of its garments and therefore caused economic damage to the plaintiff. This was reported by the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT in its anti-greenwashing column. The case had already been revealed…

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Sustainability? When it comes to making one’s own contribution, the mind goes blank 1920 768 flustix
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Sustainability? When it comes to making one’s own contribution, the mind goes blank

ATTITUDE WITH BISS The epitome of a waste of time are discussions with stubborn climate change deniers about the climate crisis. Apart from irrefutable scientific findings, one’s own eyes, combined with a minimal portion of intellect, are enough to understand: All of the worn-out descriptions from five to 12 to five past 12 no longer…

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Packaging industry celebrates a green trade show – but how sustainable and innovative is Fachpack? 1920 768 flustix
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Packaging industry celebrates a green trade show – but how sustainable and innovative is Fachpack?

SUMMARY For flustix on site at the fair: Xenia Kersten, Malte Biss and Krzysztof Babel. The Fachpack is the most important trade fair for the packaging industry in Europe. The flustix team was on site, looked around for three days, and now draws a conclusion: The color green dominates, the transformation of the industry is…

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Why do we have too little waste paper, even though the garbage cans are always overflowing? 1920 768 flustix
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Why do we have too little waste paper, even though the garbage cans are always overflowing?

15 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Our “pet” is black on the bottom and blue on top. When we travel, it must be cared for, guarded and moved by dear neighbors. It is our paper garbage can. It is emptied only once a month. If that should go wrong just once, we will sink into cardboard chaos:…

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After deposit bottles, now come deposit bags: Start-up launches smart reusable system for mail order business 1920 768 flustix
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After deposit bottles, now come deposit bags: Start-up launches smart reusable system for mail order business

INNOVATIONS The mail order business is booming, despite the economic crisis, several million packages are sent through Germany every day. In 2021, there were a total of almost four billion shipments of goods – a record. As a result, unimaginable amounts of packaging waste have to be disposed of. The cluttered waste paper containers are…

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We need plastic – up to a certain limit that we must not exceed 1920 768 flustix
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We need plastic – up to a certain limit that we must not exceed

ATTITUDE WITH BISS I recently read something about an impressive comparison on the subject of plastic. Between the years 1950 and 2015, 8.3 billion tons of plastic were produced worldwide. That equates to more than a ton for every person currently living on the planet. One ton of plastic for every person in the world…

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Independent certificates strengthen quality assurance for recyclates in the automotive industry 1920 768 flustix
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Independent certificates strengthen quality assurance for recyclates in the automotive industry

FLUSTIX IN THE MEDIA What about the use of recyclates in automotive construction? The trade magazine PLASTVERARBEITER asked industry experts about this – and gives an overview of the areas in which recyclates are already increasingly used. 27 components of the Audi Q4 E-Tron are made from industrial production waste Not only the drive system,…

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Plastic without borders: Microplastics confirmed in breast milk 1920 768 flustix
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Plastic without borders: Microplastics confirmed in breast milk

NEU STUDY Plastics are unstoppably making their way through: for the first time, researchers have now detected microplastics in breast milk. Of the 34 samples examined, 26 were contaminated. Frightening: Because no connection with the diet or the use of certain personal care products of the mothers could be proven, the research team assumes that…

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Climate protection: discounter supports recycling with new campaign 1920 768 flustix
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Climate protection: discounter supports recycling with new campaign

INNOVATIONS In the Corona year 2020, private households in Germany generated 78 kilograms of packaging waste per capita. That was an average of six kilograms more per person than in 2019 – as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in the spring of this year. A large proportion of this packaging comes from food retailing.…

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Technology of the future or climate killer? When it comes to plastic, opinions differ 1920 768 flustix
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Technology of the future or climate killer? When it comes to plastic, opinions differ

DISCUSSION By our author Carsten Gensing No one wants plastic in their garden, nor in their clothes or even in their food – and certainly not in their own bodies. Yet the stuff is all around us and, unfortunately, inside us. Plastic is the material that dominates everything. With which we run into ruin and…

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Bags made of grass or “wild plastic”: How Germany’s biggest online retailers are presenting themselves as climate-friendly 1920 768 flustix
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Bags made of grass or “wild plastic”: How Germany’s biggest online retailers are presenting themselves as climate-friendly

Packaging check at Amazon, Otto, Zalando & Co. Hundreds of thousands of packages crisscross the country every day: we have shoes and books, vegetables or a new smartphone cable delivered directly to our homes. But can we really store with a clear conscience at the click of a mouse – or are we sinking into…

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The new EU consumer protection regulation hits the packaging industry 1920 768 flustix
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The new EU consumer protection regulation hits the packaging industry

” Some will need to reorient themselves” FLUSTIX FOUNDER MALTE BISS IN INTERVIEW Exploding prices for raw materials, a threatening energy crisis, changing purchasing behavior and new requirements for sustainability – the packaging industry is facing enormous challenges. Topics that will be in focus at the upcoming FACHPACK 2022 trade fair and are likely to…

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Germany will obligate catering to offer reusable packaging from Jan 1, 2023 1920 768 flustix
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Germany will obligate catering to offer reusable packaging from Jan 1, 2023

New law aims to avoid take away packaging The non-recyclable mountain of waste is huge: every hour in Germany, hundreds of thousands of plastic-coated coffee-to-go cups and takeaway trays with a high plastic content get emptied – after which they are thrown away and go straight into the incinerator. 13 billion pieces per year! From…

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Transparent solar cells: Will solar energy from window glass save us from the climate collapse? 1920 768 flustix
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Transparent solar cells: Will solar energy from window glass save us from the climate collapse?

Innovations recommended by the flustix experts Das Erreichen der Klimaziele wird immer unwahrscheinlicher Achieving the climate targets is becoming increasingly unlikely Because Germany is once again relying more heavily on fossil fuels in the energy crisis, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that we will achieve the goals we have set. A catastrophe that we are…

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EU plans to ban greenwashing 1920 768 flustix
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EU plans to ban greenwashing

Will these four advertising tricks soon be banned? From “climate-positive” to “plastic-negative” – clever marketing professionals cannot be accused of lacking creativity when it comes to putting a product’s alleged sustainability attributes in the shop window. The upcoming amendment of the EU Consumer Protection Regulation will also regulate green claiming in the future and will…

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Editorial to the September newsletter 150 150 flustix
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Editorial to the September newsletter

Dear Reader, The packaging industry is facing a huge transformation: more must be packaged with less effort. The impact of raw material consumption and production must be reduced, and the recycling rate must be increased. How can this be achieved? We expect answers to these questions at FACHPACK 2022, the most important trade exhibition for…

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Which packaging is the real environmental winner? 1920 768 flustix
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Which packaging is the real environmental winner?

Sustainability duel in the supermarket Glass, cardboard, cans or bio-plastic – what constitutes sustainable packaging? Many customers have already lost the overview and thrown in the towel. We explain which packaging is really sustainable, how to unmask cheating packaging – and what creative ideas manufacturers have for implementing the packaging trends of the future. Gummi…

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Sustainable yes – feel-good factor open! Start-up spins yarn from human hair 1920 768 flustix
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Sustainable yes – feel-good factor open! Start-up spins yarn from human hair

Ingenious or repulsive? A start-up from the Netherlands is developing a new process: Human hair waste becomes yarn and wool. The material is said to be flexible, durable and thermally insulating. But isn’t it disgusting? In a report in the sustainability magazine enorm (article available in German), start-up founder Zsofia Koller explains: “We don’t think…

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New minimum standards: When does packaging become recyclable? 1920 768 flustix
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New minimum standards: When does packaging become recyclable?

“Recyclable” – we see this slogan on many packages. But who decides what is recyclable? This is where the German Central Packaging Register Office (ZSVR) comes into play. It has now taken a look at new trends. The result is sobering. Fiber-based packaging is all the rage, as is packaging made of wood, bamboo or…

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Zero Waste! Recycling doctor saves cardboard from the paper waste container 1920 768 flustix
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Zero Waste! Recycling doctor saves cardboard from the paper waste container

Innovations recommended by the flustix experts The recycling rate is high, almost as if there were a deposit on it: collecting paper and cardboard and disposing of it in the waste paper container is something we can do. Up to 98 percent of the circulating paper in Germany gets recycled. A prime example of recycling…

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Five award-winning school projects that have real impact 1920 768 flustix
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Five award-winning school projects that have real impact

SUSTAINABLE AT SCHOOL Sustainable consumption, waste avoidance, upcycling, recycling, energy saving, climate-friendly mobility – there are countless ways in which each of us can contribute to climate protection. The topic has also long been on the curriculum in schools. The flustix editorial team has discovered five projects that are truly exemplary. “Vegetable Ackerdemie” in the…

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Why should I take cold showers when the others don’t either? 1920 768 flustix
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Why should I take cold showers when the others don’t either?

Attitude with Biss We are experiencing a crisis that threatens our security and prosperity. How will we pay the next heating bill? What happens if we run out of gas in the winter? Questions to which there are no simple answers, and certainly no satisfactory ones.  In order to have as little recourse as possible…

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