Membership with the Brancheplan Verpakkingen

From this month, Interfilter has been a member of the Packaging Sector Plan for one year. This initiative focuses on reducing, making more sustainable, and high-quality recycling of packaging within the installation industry. Interfilter is actively involved in the pilot group for sustainable transport packaging. With this membership, we aim to make our packaging processes as sustainable as possible. 

What is the Packaging Sector Plan? 

The Packaging Sector Plan was established in early 2022 as a sustainability initiative that brings together companies in the installation industry to collectively reduce, make more sustainable, and recycle their packaging. The ambition of this plan is to work towards a circular economy, minimizing the use of primary raw materials for packaging and packaging waste. Membership offers the opportunity to actively participate in various pilots, where ideas are exchanged and progress is made in the field of sustainable packaging. Previously, this responsibility lay entirely with the companies themselves, but thanks to the sector plan, companies can now collaborate to accelerate, improve, and learn from each other. 

Participation in the Pilot 

Interfilter is specifically involved in the pilot group for sustainable transport packaging. This group consists of installation companies and parties committed to sustainable packaging solutions. Several times a year, members come together to discuss progress and exchange ideas to achieve the set goals. Within this pilot, in-depth research is conducted on how transport packaging materials can be made more sustainable, by improving the type of material as well as reducing the amount of material used, while promoting recyclability. 

Results after the first year of membership 

In the past year, Interfilter has already made significant progress. By adjusting the packaging material, we have directly contributed to sustainability. For example, we now save nearly 900 kg of plastic annually by adjusting the thickness of the stretch film and have switched to PP Acrylic tape, which is an ecologically better alternative. Furthermore, in our first year as a member, we have mapped the consumption of packaging materials, which makes it easier for us to examine specific materials and continue making progress. 

Objectives of the sector plan for 2025 

The sector plan has formulated several objectives that all participants are working towards together. 

Reduce and Prevent 

• A 20% reduction in the use of plastic and cardboard compared to 2021. 

• Printing and/or stickers on packaging (including pallet wrap) are removed or replaced by a sustainable alternative. 

Make More Sustainable 

• For at least 20% of product categories, plastic packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic or 100% biobased material. 

• Single-use plastic packaging is made from 100% recycled material. 

• 100% of paper and cardboard contains an FSC/PEFC label or an FSC/PEFC Recycle label. 

• Plastic and cardboard packaging is 100% recyclable. 

• 100% of wooden pallets for single use (disposable pallets) are replaced by reusable pallets. 

High-Quality Reuse 

• At least 70% of plastic packaging is recycled or reused. 

• Paper and cardboard are reused wherever possible and otherwise recycled. 

• Mono-stream packaging is used wherever possible to enable recycling. 

After this first year, we look forward to the next year, where Interfilter can further develop and make its packaging more sustainable. We look forward to participating in several pilots within the Packaging Sector Plan, with the goal of making our entire value chain more sustainable.