“Made for Recycling” seal for the DMK Group: Interseroh certifies the new grated cheese packaging from MILRAM with good recycling capability

Cologne. The scientifically-proven “Made for Recycling” assessment method from the environmental services provider Interseroh has confirmed the recycling capability of the packaging recently used by its customers, the DMK Group. The bags used for the packaging of the new MILRAM “PizzaLiebe” and MILRAM “AuflaufLiebe” grated cheese products which have been supplied to retailers since March were awarded 18 of 20 possible points, and thereby given the seal of quality for recycling capability. The testing standard was developed together with the bifa environmental institute, before subsequently being reviewed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV.

“Good recycling capability is of considerable importance for an effective recyclable loop,” explains Markus Müller-Drexel, Managing Director of INTERSEROH Dienstleistungs GmbH. “We can only make use of the full potential of the closed loop economy if the waste which citizens separate at home is also optimally recyclable. On the one hand, the “Made for Recycling” service sets fixed standards for companies in the development of packaging, while on the other, it provides orientation to consumers who want to make environmentally-aware purchases that are climate-friendly and resource-conserving.“

The importance of the recycling of recyclable materials for easing the burden on the climate, which is urgently required, is also demonstrated by the “resources SAVED by recycling” study by the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. On this basis, the ALBA Group, to which also belongs Interseroh, saved 4.2 million tonnes of climate-damaging greenhouse gases in 2019 by recycling 6 million tonnes of recyclable materials. This corresponds to around one percent of Germany’s CO2 savings on the basis of a direct comparison of the annual emissions from 1990 with 2019, or the positive climate protection impact achieved by roughly 59 million trees.

About the “Made for Recycling” valuation method:

To assess the recycling capability of packaging, together with the bifa environmental institute specialising in technical environmental protection, Interseroh has developed a three-stage points system. In the first stage, it is determined whether the consumer can assign the packaging to the right collection system without any problems. In the second stage, a verification takes place as to how the packaging performs during the sorting. Are the currently available sorting technologies able to sort the packaging into the right material fraction – or do certain materials prevent a clear allocation? In the third stage, an evaluation takes place as to whether the packaging is suitable for material recycling, or whether labels, colours or barriers make the recycling process more difficult. Packaging barriers are usually used to protect the product from exterior influences and to guarantee the product attributes. They serve the purpose of providing protection against UV or oxygen infiltration, for example.

The greater the number of points the packaging achieves on a scale of 0 to 20, the more easily and better it can be recycled. The “Made for Recycling” service also fulfils the requirements of the minimum standards for measuring the recycling capability of packaging of the German Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR) which have applied since 1 September 2019.

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